Time for the Truth
by KPRS4ever
Summary: *Takes place after the episode "Troublemaker" The day had finally come for Marinette to be taken by Adrien to one of his photoshoots. Little did she know that Adrien had a few surprises waiting...and secrets to share. However, things don't go exactly the way he had planned, which gave Hawkmoth the opportunity to unleash his evil. Will Marinette and Adrien make it out alive?
1. Pick-Ups and Lost Phones

**WATCH THE EPISODE "TROUBLEMAKER" BEFORE READING THIS STORY!**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Pick-Ups and Lost Phones**

It was late in the afternoon in Paris, France. The sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Nobody could ask for a better, more brighter day to be out and about. Marinette was one of the lucky ones of the day. Today was Adrien's photoshoot. She was ecstatic. She waited for 2 weeks for this day to come. One whole day with Adrien was more than she could have ever imagined.

"Can you believe it, Tikki? A photoshoot! With Adrien! I can't believe this is happening!" Marinette said as she searched through her dresser, picking out an outfit for the special occasion. Clothes flew all over the room. Tikki floated next to her, dodging a purple shirt that nearly hit her.

"I'm so happy for you, Marinette! Maybe it's a good thing Adrien saw the photos of him in your room. Things happen for a reason, just like how there was a reason you became Ladybug." Tikki told her. Marinette smiled. She was very thankful to have a little floating companion like Tikki around. Tikki has been there for her through thick and thin. If it wasn't for her, she wouldn't know what to do with herself, especially around Adrien. She gave Marinette the confidence to be brave, even in the toughest of circumstances.

"I'm really shocked he didn't see me as a total creep after what he saw on TV the other week. He's so understanding..." She started zoning out, sighing. "Adrien…"

"Marinette?" Tikki tried to get her attention. "Marinette?" Marinette was still spacing out. Tikki lightly threw the purple shirt that almost hit her at Marinette's face. Marinette yelped. She was back down to earth. Marinette giggled, with the shirt still on her face. Tikki laughed with her.

"Sorry Tikki. Okay, gotta focus." She said as she took the shirt off of her face and began to go through her dresser again. "I just can't-" Marinette threw another shirt out from her dresser. "-find the right top!" She threw a giant pile out from the dresser drawers. She stopped and gasped. "Yes! This is it!" Marinette proclaimed as she held up a salmon color flowy top. "What do you think, Tikki?" She asked her.

"I love it, but why are you getting all fancy? It's a photoshoot, not a royal ball." Tikki chuckled.

"You don't understand. Adrien asked me to go with him to his photoshoot! The love of my life and the light of my heart! He never asks anyone that! This is basically a date! So I need to look my best!" Marinette explained. Tikki rose an eyebrow.

"But...he thinks you're a fan, not a crush. So it's not really a date, technically speaking." Tikki said. Marinette pondered what she just heard. She sighed.

"Maybe you're right. Still, doesn't hurt to try to impress him, you know?" Marinette told her. Tikki smiled at her.

"Well, you do have a point. Way to be positive!" Tikki responded, twirling in place. Suddenly the phone rang. Marinette's head jolted. She ran over to her daybed and picked up the phone. She looked at who was calling. She yelped, dropping the phone.

"Gah! It's Adrien! Uh...uh…" She said, running in place in a panic.

"Marinette! Answer it!" Tikki said as she picked up the phone with all the strength she could. Marinette grabbed it from her and pressed the answer button as she looked away, dreading what she was thinking she was going to say to him. She put the phone to her ear.

"Uh...hello biscuit...I MEAN THIS IS-" She stopped talking and coughed nervously, "This is...Marinette." She facepalmed as did Tikki.

"Uh...hey, Marinette. It's Adrien." Adrien responded. He was in the backseat of a black car with his bodyguard and photographer seated in the front. "I'm calling to let you know that we're on our way to pick you up."

"Wait, I thought that you were sending me the address so I could meet you there." Marinette said, confused.

"Well, that _was_ the plan. I just thought that picking you up would be the more...well...gentlemanly thing to do." Adrien chuckled nervously. Marinette blinked in astonishment.

"Oh…" Marinette chuckled too, "Okay. Uhh...how far are you?" Marinette asked.

"We should be there in abooouuuttt-" Adrien leaned forward so he could see the GPS built into the car. "...3 minutes." Marinette screamed. Adrien jerked the phone away from his ear. The phone then hung up. Adrien stared at the phone in shock, then shrugged his shoulders. "Typical Marinette." He giggled.

"I haven't even brushed my hair! Ah, this can't be happening! Tikki help me! I'm going to die of embarrassment and have to live my life hidden from the world! Where's my hairbrush? WHERE IS MY HAIRBRUSH?!" Marinette screamed. Tikki flew over to her and lifted her right hand...holding the hairbrush.

"Marinette, relax. You look great. All you need to do is-" She stopped speaking once she noticed Marinette was pacing around, quickly getting ready. "Why do I even bother nowadays." Tikki laughed.

* * *

3 minutes passed. The black car pulled up to the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie. Adrien stepped out of the car, closing the door behind him. He was wearing a black, long-sleeved, collared shirt with a navy blue bowtie, jeans, and black dress shoes. He opened the door to the bakery and walked in, seeing Marinette's parents standing there with trays of baked goods in their hands. They turned their heads, seeing him coming inside.

"Oh, hello Adrien! What a nice surprise!" Sabine said.

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng. How are you?" Adrien responded with a smile.

"We are doing fantastic. Say...nice outfit you have there. Maybe you can, as you kids say these days, 'hook me up' with one like that." Tom said before being elbowed by Sabine. Adrien smiled. He always admired Marinette's parents. They were always hard at work and showing an extreme amount of humility to those around them. He strived to be just like that. His father wasn't exactly what he believes to be the best role model out there when it comes to love and compassion. From a hard-at-work standpoint, he might be.

"Thank you. It's for my photoshoot today. I thought Marinette told you I invited her." Adrien said.

"Oh, she hasn't stopped talking about it! She has been excited for this ever since the day you invited her." Sabine told him. Adrien smiled. It was nice to hear how much Marinette had been looking forward to this. "I'll let her know you've arrived." She turned her head to the door leading to the stairs. "Marinette! Adrien's here!".

"I didn't know you were picking her up." Tom said to Adrien.

"I just thought it would be a nice thing to do instead of making her walk all the way there. It's what friends do." Adrien explained. Tom smirked, very pleased with Adrien's decision.

"Good man." Tom said before giving him a nudge. Adrien rubbed his arm. His nudge was more like a hard punch to the bicep. Sabine turned her body to face theirs.

"You can go upstairs and knock on her door. Perhaps she didn't hear me. She's probably listening to loud music again." Sabine said to him as she shook her head in amusement.

"Thanks." Adrien waved to them as he opened the door to the stairs. Tom and Sabine watched him walk up the stairs before sighing.

"Awww." They both said. They knew that there was some kind of spark between Adrien and their daughter. They had hoped that someday, something would happen between them. For as long as they've been waiting, they'd grown somewhat impatient.

* * *

As Adrien walked up the steps, Plagg came out from in his shirt pocket.

"You know, this is new for you to invite someone to one of your photoshoots. Why the sudden fascination?" Plagg asked him as he ate a slice of Camembert.

"I uh...really can't tell you." Adrien said, looking quite nervous. Plagg couldn't believe what he was hearing. Adrien usually told him everything; well, mostly everything.

"Wait, let me get this straight. You can't tell me, the person who _is_ one of your secrets…. _a_ secret? That's far from making sense."

"You'll find out soon enough, I promise. You just have to trust me with this one, okay?" Adrien asked him. Plagg raised his eyebrow and drooped his head.

"Uuugghhh okay. You owe me a whole 5 blocks of camembert for this, you know."

"If you say so. Now hide, Plagg." Adrien said as he opened his shirt pocket for Plagg to crawl inside. Adrien looked above him to see the door to Marinette's room. He could hear banging and rustling coming from inside the room. He climbed up the ladder and knocked on the door. "Marinette? You in here?"

"Adrien! I uh...I'm o-AH!" Marinette slipped on a shirt lying on the floor. Adrien gasped.

"Marinette? Are you okay?" Adrien asked. He became concerned, so concerned that he opened the door to see if she was alright. His head popped into the room, confronting a gussied up Marinette. She was wearing the salmon-colored flowy top that she found with a pair of dark blue jeans, royal blue flats, and a flower clip in her hair. She had a tint of lipstick on. Adrien stared at her in awe. Adrien had never seen her so dressed up before. Marinette noticed he was in the room and froze. She had the same expression on her face. She couldn't believe what he was wearing. She tried to keep herself under control.

"Adrien! Hot are you? I mean HOW...how are you?" Marinette nervously chuckled. She regretted everything at that point. Adrien, thankfully, didn't think too much of it.

"I'm...good. Marinette, you uh…" Adrien nervously spoke. "You look beautiful." He finished speaking with a cheeky grin. Marinette blushed. She didn't expect to hear that come out of his mouth.

"I uh...thank you! Same to you! Actually, wait no you don't look beautiful- "Adrien's eyes widened in shock. Marinette began to panic. She couldn't get her sentences straight. Her arms flailed around. "No, no no I mean you look great! It's just beautiful isn't the right word. What's the word...uh…it's on the tip of my tongue…" Adrien chuckled at her behavior.

"It's okay, Marinette. I get what you're trying to say." He replied as he rubbed the back of his neck. Marinette nervously chucked once again. They both stood there, a little clueless as to what to do next. Adrien decided to speak again. "So, you ready to go?"

"Oh uh...yeah! I just have to get my phone..." She began to look around. She forgot where she placed her phone. "Uh...wherever I put it." She walked around, looking everywhere. "I just had my phone 3 minutes ago. How could I misplace it that quickly?" Marinette panicked. "Ah...uh...just give me a minute, Adrien. I'll be quick."

"Take your time! There's no rush." Adrien reassured her. He began to walk around the room, observing what he could see. Even though he had a room that many could compare to a teenager's paradise, he liked Marinette's room because it contained nothing but the simple stuff. There was no rock climbing wall or basketball hoops or a giant pinball machine; just the bare necessities. He wished life could be that simple sometimes. His eyes shifted to her desk, where all of the pictures of him were hanging from the wall. He already saw them before while fighting Troublemaker as Cat Noir. He never got a close look at them though. He couldn't believe how many pictures of him there were. It, thankfully, didn't creep him out at all because he was used to it. He looked at one photo of him surrounded by a field of daisies. He pointed to it. "Heh, this photo."

"Hmm?" Marinette uttered. She turned her head to Adrien, who was looking at the photos of him on her wall. She thought she would be nervous but since he saw them already and was perfectly fine with it, she decided that there was nothing to worry about. She walked over to him. She observed the photo he was pointing to. She couldn't find anything wrong with the photo. He looked completely normal. "What's wrong with it?" She asked him.

"Oh, nothing's wrong with it. I just remember that I discovered that day that I was allergic to daisies." Adrien explained.

"Wait you're allergic to feathers _and_ daisies?" Marinette asked him.

"Yeah. After I came home that day, I couldn't breathe through my nose at all. Plus I had some rashes." Adrien explained.

"Wow. Remind me never to make a derby out of those if I ever enter one of those contests again." Marinette chuckled. "Speaking of which…" She said before pointing to a photo of Adrien wearing her derby hat from the contest. She wasn't afraid to show him the photos of him anymore. She knew that he was fine with them so she knew she didn't have to be shy. Adrien turned to smile at her before taking his gaze back to the photo.

"That photo wouldn't be possible without allergy medication." He said to her.

"How many pills did you have to take?" Marinette asked him, concerned that he was in distress because of her.

"About 3...and a bit of nasal spray." Marinette gasped. She felt so bad. The guilt started sinking in. Adrien noticed and waved his hands around. "But don't worry! As a model, you have to do things you don't want to do. The allergies didn't bother me that much at all. Trust me." He said as she smiled with relief. "It's not as bad as this royal blue and green feather vest I had to wear with an orange fedora. It made me look like a peacock. I'm kind of surprised the name 'bird boy' or something didn't come into play." He said before they both laughed. They suddenly heard a car horn beep outside. They both turned their heads to the window. Adrien turned back to Marinette. "Oops...kind of lost track of time. We better get going." Adrien walked over to the door leading to the steps. "Shall we?" He asked her. She looked at her desk noticing her phone wedged under her keyboard. She wondered how in the world it got there. She picked the phone up and returned her gaze to him.

"Yeah, now that I found my phone." Marinette said as she walked towards him, holding her phone in her hand. They both began to walk down the steps. Once they reached the first floor, Marinette popped her head through the bakery door. "Bye Mom! I'll be back late tonight!"

"Bye honey! Be careful!" They both said. Tom and Sabine sneaked towards the door so they could watch them walk to the car. Tom sighed and drooped his head. Sabine put her hand on his shoulder. They both turned to look at each other.

"It'll happen someday. They need to realize their feelings on their own." Sabine explained.

 **CHAPTER 2 COMING SOON!**


	2. Not What She Expected

**WATCH THE EPISODE "TROUBLEMAKER" BEFORE READING THIS STORY**!

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Not What She Expected**

Marinette, accompanied by Adrien, walked out of the bakery. Adrien went ahead and opened the car door for her. Marinette stepped inside the car as he followed her. He closed the door and the car began to move.

"So...where is the photoshoot?" Marinette said as she and Adrien buckled themselves in.

"Actually, I can't say." Adrien told her. Marinette was confused.

"Huh? Why?" Marinette asked him.

"Hey, you can't be the only one with..." Adrien leaned towards her. "...surprises." He said as he winked at her. Marinette smiled and blushed. She noticed that Adrien's behavior had changed since he saw the photos in her room. He'd been playful around her a lot lately. Marinette wasn't against it, of course. She thoroughly enjoyed being treated like this. She just wondered why he had been acting this way all of a sudden. Nonetheless, she decided to enjoy it as long as it lasted. "All I can tell you is that we have 2 hours to kill." Adrien told her. Marinette looked straight ahead. Her eyes widened. _2 hours_. _2 hours...in a car...with Adrien...oh my goodness._ She was in her own little wonderland. She just didn't know what to talk about. She looked around the car to see if there was anything she could begin to discuss. She found buttons in the center of the car above them. There were so many. Usually, you only see two of them for lights above the seats.

"So what do these do?" Marinette asked him as she pointed to the buttons.

"Huh?" Adrien asked, turning his head to her hand pointing to the buttons. "Oh, those? Well, try 'em out." Adrien told her. She hesitantly pressed one of the buttons. The button made a beeping sound. Suddenly, a small TV screen slid out from the bottom of the car. A DVD player slid up too. Marinette was amazed. She had never thought that a car like this existed. She eagerly pressed another one. The lights above them changed from yellow to blue.

"Color-changing lights? Fancy." Marinette giggled. Adrien did the same.

"Yeah, we use this car for special occasions usually. I pulled a few strings and, well, I convinced my dad to let us use it. Since you were coming along, I thought it was necessary." Adrien told her. Marinette's face lit up. She would never have expected Adrien to go to such great lengths to do this for her. She felt so special at that moment. He pointed to another button above them.

"Okay, press this button here." Adrien said to her. Marinette pressed the button. Suddenly, she felt something digging into her back. She gasped, discovering that the chairs that she and Adrien were sitting were also massage chairs. Adrien sat there with his eyes closed, folding his hands in his lap. Marinette, although being really surprised that a massage chair could exist in a car, became extremely relaxed, sliding slowly into the seat. She sighed, enjoying herself. Adrien chuckled at her. He pointed to another button.

"Now, press this one." Adrien told her. She took her hand and pressed the button. A divider came from the top of the car. It slid down until it was locked into place on the bottom of the car. Marinette's eyes widened again. "It's a soundproof divider. My bodyguard and photographer can't hear us. Now we have the back of the car all to ourselves!" Adrien said to her. Marinette couldn't believe what was happening. This was all so surreal to her. She literally had 2 hours to spend with no one but Adrien, the love of her life. She literally didn't know what to say or do. She waited for Adrien to make a move.

"Okay, so we have some movies to watch on the way." Adrien said as he reached under his seat. He took out a case full of DVD movies and TV shows. "You don't get carsick, right?" Adrien asked her. Marinette shook her head no. "Okay. Let's see…" He began to sort through the movies, reading each title over. Marinette looked through the DVD titles with him. She noticed a lot of movies from the franchise, Meteor Voyage.

"Hey...Adrien? Are you a fan of Meteor Voyage by chance?" Marinette asked him. Adrien's eyes widened. He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well…um..." Adrien seemed embarrassed to say yes. She found it cute. Not only was Adrien a model, but a geek too. That made her so happy. Little did he know that Marinette was a fan of it too. Marinette decided to make him feel more comfortable about it.

"Do you have Meteor Voyage: Passage to a New Era? It's one of my favorites of the franchise." She asked him with a smile. Adrien's face filled with shock. He would never have guessed that she would be into a show about space travel and aliens. He thought that she would be the type that's into chick flicks.

"You...you're a fan of Meteor Voyage?" Adrien asked her, doubtful that she really was. Marinette nodded her head in amusement.

"Hey, you're talking to someone that plays Mecha Strike III." She told him as she brushed some of her hair behind her ear. "There's a lot you don't know about me." Her gaze shifted to him. Adrien's face filled with excitement. The geeky side started coming out of him.

"So...favorite episode from Meteor Voyage: Journey Till No Tomorrow?" Adrien started bouncing in his seat. Marinette has never seen him so excited to talk about something.

"I think the one where the meteor fleet discovers the Ulatrion galaxy and encounters the Elusians." Marinette replied, feeding into his geekiness. Adrien couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"That's...that's my favorite episode too!" Adrien excitedly told her. They both had the biggest cheeky grins on their faces. Adrien had no idea they had something like that in common. "Okay so Passage to a New Era, you said? Got it right here." He said to her as he held the DVD up. She pumped her fist.

"Kroska!" Marinette said. Adrien blinked in astonishment.

"Wait, you can speak Elusian?" Adrien asked her.

"Yeah, I was taught a little bit by my Dad, but I decided to further educate myself in the art of 'Elusianese'. By the way, Kroska means yes." She chuckled. They were having a complete geek-out session. They would never have guessed that they were both fans of Meteor Voyage. They were so glad to have found out. Now they had someone to speak geek to all the time. Adrien opened the DVD case, took the DVD out, and placed it in the DVD slot located in between their feet on the floor. The TV screen lit up. The movie began to play.

* * *

Time went by. The sun was beginning to go down. They were near the end of the movie. A romantic scene came up on the screen with two young teenage leaders of the Meteor Fleet.

 _Lieutenant...I need to say something to you but...I'm worried you'll hate me if I say it._

 _Spit it out Commander! we are nearing the Elusian's nitronic laser weapon. You might as well say it now, before it's too late._

 _Lieutenant...I know I haven't known you long but I feel...something different._

Adrien turned his gaze towards Marinette. He watched as she kept her eyes on the TV screen.

 _Commander...what are you trying to say?_

 _I...I want to be more than...than just friends. I can't hide it anymore._

Marinette turned her head towards Adrien, noticing that he was gazing at her.

 _Commander...I...I feel the same way. You don't have to be ashamed to say it._

 _Lieutenant….do you truthfully?_

 _Yes, Commander...with all of my heart. I've been wanting to tell you for ages now._

Marinette and Adrien gazed into each other's eyes.

 _I need you in my life, Lieutenant._

 _Oh, just kiss me, Commander, before we die, grant me this one last wish!_

The two actors kissed on the screen. Marinette and Adrien stared at each other's lips. They began to lean in, inching closer and closer to one another They were so close. Their lips were about to touch. Suddenly the car jolted and came to a halt. They both whacked their heads on the divider in front of them.

"Ow!" They both yelped before rubbing their pounding heads. The window on Adrien's side of the car pulled down, revealing the photographer.

"We're here! Mr. Adrien, we need that special pizzazz today! Let me see that passionate fire in you, my boy!"

"Got it, Vincent." He said, still rubbing his head. Vincent proceeded to point his finger at Marinette.

"And you, pigtail girl, no distracting, comprende?"

"Uh, yeah, yeah, okay." Marinette responded, wide-eyed. Vincent walked away with his equipment. Marinette and Adrien were still sitting in the car with the windows down. Their gaze shifted towards each other again, realizing that they looked at one another at the same time. They quickly looked away, chuckling awkwardly.

"Uh...sorry about Vincent. When it comes to school photos he's laid back but with photos of me he's _very_ passionate." Adrien apologized as he was getting out of the car. He walked around to Marinette's side of the car and opened the door for her.

"Oh, it's okay. I know how important his job is to him." Marinette said as she stepped out of the car. She stopped, stunned at the sights she was seeing. "Wow, Adrien! Where, where are we?"

"Welcome to Varengeville-sur-Mer, Marinette." Adrien responded. She couldn't believe what she was looking at. She was standing by a cliff, looking out at the English Channel. The sights were just breathtaking. The sunset shining on the clear water made it even more beautiful. She sniffed the air, smelling the channel's waves and tall grass growing on the cliffs. It was nice to get away from the smells of cars and buildings for one day. She had never been anywhere like this before. There was absolutely no one around. All that could be heard was the sounds of birds and waves on the shore. It was very different from Paris, where crowds are absolutely everywhere. She walked closer to the edge of the cliff, making sure not to stumble off of it. Adrien walked with her. They both looked out, taking in the beauty of the sparkling water and setting sun.

"This is...beautiful, Adrien!" She said to him as she looked out at the channel. Adrien turned his head to look at her. He smiled as he gazed at her.

"Yeah." He said as he turned his head back towards the channel. "This is my favorite spot to do the photoshoot at. You don't have to worry about any crowds or troubling situations. You just have yourself and the channel. I just find it so relaxing" He took a deep breath in through the nose, taking in the scent of nature.

"Mr. Adrien! We must start soon before the sun goes down! Rapido!" Vincent called Adrien. Both Marinette and Adrien turned their heads to him. They got so distracted from the view that they forgot what they were there for. Adrien turned to Marinette and shrugged. He took her hand in his.

"Come on." Adrien said with a smile. Marinette's eyes widened. She blushed. She couldn't believe what was happening right now. She felt as if this was a dream. She pinched herself just in case. She let out a yelp.

"OW!" Adrien stopped walking and turned around. He thought she may have tripped.

"You alright?" Adrien asked, alert.

"Oh uh...yeah...all good!" She said, chuckling as she and Adrien walked over to the car.

Marinette wanted to help set up the equipment needed for the photoshoot. She began to get some of it out of the trunk until Adrien stepped in front of her with his hands up in front of him.

"No, no, you just stand back. You're the guest. Let us handle all the heavy lifting." He told her before patting her shoulder. He turned around towards the trunk to get some equipment out of it. Marinette's eyes glistened. She placed her hand on the shoulder Adrien patted. She thought with a smile. _W...wow…_

* * *

20 minutes went by. All of the photoshoot equipment was set up. Marinette watched as Adrien and the rest of the crew began to conduct the photoshoot. She has read a lot about photoshoots in all of the books she has brought about the fashion industry. She had seen one of his photoshoots before, but only a minute or two of it because of Stormy Weather attacking Paris and babysitting Manon. Today was one of the first times that she would truly experience the process of a photoshoot and how it works. She never expected her first experience to be watching Adrien be part of one. Marinette looked for somewhere to watch the photoshoot. Adrien called her name.

"Marinette! I got a chair for you over here." Adrien said, pointing to the folding chair next to him. Marinette smiled, appreciating the fact that he kept thinking about her and her needs. She walked over to him and sat in the chair. Once Marinette was comfortable, Adrien walked over to the photoshoot set up and got himself prepared. Vincent was standing there, adjusting his camera's settings to best compliment the surroundings.

"Now, show the look that says 'I want ze pizza pia'!" Vincent said to Adrien. Marinette remembers Vincent talking about spaghetti before so she felt as if this was completely normal. She watched as Adrien began to pose for the camera. What she was witnessing put all of the photos she had of Adrien to shame. She has never seen him look so handsome. The sunset was beaming on his blonde hair and his emerald eyes were glistening. Marinette was about to drool. She's always waited for an opportunity to admire Adrien and his good looks without people glancing at her like she's crazy. She didn't want this to end. _Aaaadrrriieeennnn…._ Tikki peeked out from inside her purse, noticing Marinette was in her own little world again.

"Marinette, you're about to drool." She whispered. Marinette gasped, worried that Tikki would be exposed.

"Tikki! Careful. You don't want to be seen." Marinette whispered back to her, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.

"I know Marinette. I've been around for thousands of years." Tikki said to her with a smile. "I must say though, Adrien's acting different, don't you think?"

"Yeah. I've noticed but...I don't mind it. Why mention it?" Marinette asked her.

"I just find it strange. You think Adrien's alright? Something has to be on his mind." Tikki explained. Marinette looked down at the ground, then at Adrien. She observed his behavior as he got his pictures taken. She thought about how he's treated her so far. Although she couldn't resist his charming looks, she pondered over the point Tikki made.

"He _has_ been super attentive to my needs and all…a little _too_ attentive...I wonder what's going on…"

* * *

About 2 hours later, the photoshoot ended. It was about 8 PM. The sun disappeared and the moon was in the sky; it's light glistening over the channel. Marinette was standing at the edge of one of the cliffs, taking in the view. She loved watching the photoshoot, appreciating the chance to witness a big part of the fashion industry as well as the chance to see Adrien at work. She couldn't help but wonder about Adrien and his behavior towards her. Admiring the landscape helped her think. Suddenly, footsteps were heard behind her. Adrien came next to Marinette. He turned his head towards her.

"That was a long photoshoot. So...what did you think of it?" Adrien asked her. Marinette turned her gaze to him.

"I loved it." She blushed. "Thank you for bringing me along Adrien. It…" She nervously rubbed her arm. "It was really sweet of you." She said. "You're a really good friend." She said as she turned her head back to look at the channel.

"Yeah...friend." Adrien said. His smile changed to a slight frown. He gazed at Marinette; her midnight hair shining in the moonlight and her sparkling sapphire eyes. He tried to say something but hesitated. He gained a bit of courage and tried to speak again.

"Hey...wanna go for a walk?" He said as he held out his hand for her to hold.

 **CHAPTER 3 COMING SOON!**


	3. Gone Too Far

**WATCH THE EPISODE "TROUBLEMAKER" BEFORE READING THIS STORY!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Gone Too Far**

Marinette and Adrien walked beside the edge of the cliff. The moon was still shining brightly. There was a slight breeze due to the channel's waves. Fireflies were glowing around them. It was a very romantic atmosphere; the perfect setting for an evening stroll. Although Marinette couldn't ask for anything better than a walk with Adrien, she was extremely nervous now. She couldn't help but think of all the possibilities as to why Adrien wanted to take a walk with her. _Okay, Adrien asked me to take a walk with him. This is nice. Okay...but why is he acting so...off?_

As they walked, they remained very quiet. They were both nervous to talk. Even Adrien was hesitant to talk, even though he was the one to ask to take a walk. There has never been a moment where they were alone at a place like this. Adrien gained a little confidence.

"So...uh-" Adrien spoke.

"So…" Marinette interrupted. They both nervously laughed. Adrien rubbed the back of his neck.

"No, no, you first." Adrien said to her with a smile. Marinette smiled back, then spoke.

"Okay." Marinette said, biting her lip. "I have to say that this was one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. I have never had so much fun and learned so much from a fashion standpoint. Something's been on my mind though." Marinette told Adrien as she looked down at her feet. Adrien turned his gaze to her.

"Is...is everything okay?" Adrien asked as he began to worry.

"I'm okay but...are you?" Marinette replied as she turned to look at him. Adrien's eyes widened. Tension began to fill the air around them.

"Wh-what do you mean by that?" Adrien asked with a shaky voice. Marinette stopped walking.

"Adrien...don't take this the wrong way but you've been acting really...different towards me. Don't get me wrong, I like the way you're treating me but...you have hundreds of fans. Why am I any different than them? Why invite me to a photoshoot and not anyone else?" Marinette asked him. Adrien bit his lip. Marinette knew he was hiding something. She was hoping that he would do the right thing and tell her what was going on.

"Marinette...I…" Adrien stuttered. Marinette could tell he was nervous. She put her hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

"Adrien? Whatever it is that you're afraid to tell me, don't be. Whatever's on your mind, I might be able to help you with." Marinette reassured him. Adrien looked down at the ground, then back at Marinette. He stared deeply into her eyes.

"Actually, it's not something I'm afraid to say. It's…" Adrien looked to the side, then back in her eyes again. He took his hand and put it in his pocket. He took out a wallet from inside it. "It's actually...something I want to show you." Adrien told her. He opened his wallet and searched inside it. He took out a photo. Marinette couldn't see what the photo was of because it was facing him. She noticed he was shy to show her what the photo was of. He took a deep breath and handed the photo to her, face down. She took the photo in her hand and slowly turned it over. Her eyes grew. She was speechless

"It's...it's me?" Marinette said, holding a photo of her from his own wallet. She couldn't believe it. Her eyes widened. She couldn't help but wonder why he had a photo of her in his wallet. Millions of thoughts went through her head. _He has a picture of me in his wallet? Why!? The reason I have photos of Adrien is because I have a-_

Marinette stopped thinking.

She came to a conclusion.

 _No...way..._

She now had all the answers.

"Marinette...when you told me that you had photos of me because you're a 'fan'...I felt as if you weren't telling me the entire truth." Adrien told her. Marinette gaped at him. She never thought that this would ever happen. "I should know because I have photos of you. This actually...isn't the only one. I have about 5 more at home." Adrien said before chuckling. Marinette was still unable to say anything. "So...I might have been joking before but I feel as if I should ask one more time just to be safe…. _are_ you lying?" Adrien asked her.

Marinette's heart was racing. She began to hyperventilate. She never thought this day would come. She had never been so scared to confess anything like this. Then again, she hasn't ever confessed anything like this before. She was terrified. She began to sweat. She swallowed. Adrien noticed her fear and attempted to help her calm down.

"Marinette?" Adrien took her hand and held it gently. He smiled at her. "It's okay." Marinette took a deep breath.

 _Do I dare...oh, Marinette come on just come out and say it!_

She took the plunge.

"Yes. I was lying." Marinette replied to Adrien. He gasped. "Adrien, I...I like you. It's not because you're a model though." Adrien smiled, giving her a playful raised eyebrow. "Okay, maybe slightly. See, I like you for the person you are. You're kind and compassionate and...so...so sweet." She explained to him. He couldn't help but smile. He was so glad to hear the truth coming from her lips. "I was just so scared that you would think I'm a total creep and that I was just another crazy obsessed girl who has a crush on a male celebrity. I have a feeling that you just want to run as far away from me as possible." Marinette explained to him as she looked down in shame. Adrien shook his head in amusement. He took his hand and lifted her chin.

"Listen, you shouldn't be ashamed of anything." Adrien said before taking a deep breath. "It's about time I were honest with you." Adrien took both his hands in hers. "The reason you have photos of me is the same reason I have photos of you." Marinette frown turned upside down. Hearing this coming from his mouth was a dream come true for her. She was on the verge of tears. "I didn't just invite you to the photoshoot because you're into fashion. We both had something to confess so I thought...that it was about time we finally did." Adrien told her. He gazed into her eyes as she stared into his. She suddenly grabbed him into a tight hug. He hugged her back.

"Adrien…" She said as she grasped him tightly. "Thank you." He did the same. Suddenly, he gently pushed her away. Marinette was surprised, then worried. "What's...what's wrong?" Adrien looked down to the ground, then back at her.

"That's not all." Adrien said to her. A wave of confusion hit Marinette. Her eyes went wide.

"Adrien?"

"There's something else I need to confess." Adrien told her. Marinette was clueless as to what else he had to hide. She couldn't think of anything. Not a single idea could come to her mind. _Wait, what else is he hiding? There's more secrets?_

Adrien put her hands on her shoulders. They both deeply stared into each other's eyes. Adrien was very hesitant to speak. He then forced himself to speak, regretting what he was about to do.

Marinette waited to hear what else he was about to confess.

Adrien started to sweat.

She could see the fear grow in his eyes.

There was a long moment of silence. Adrien then spoke.

"M….m'lady…." He said to her.

Marinette wondered why he was so scared to say that to her. She was baffled. Thoughts rushed through her mind. _Wait, m'lady? How is that a confession? I mean, the only person who's called me that before was-_

Marinette gasped. Flashbacks came to her.

 _M'Lady, have I ever told you you turn my world upside down?_

She couldn't breathe.

 _I just knew I could count on you m'la- I mean...Ladybug!_

She was getting dizzy.

 _Sorry to disappoint, but I'm the only one to stick to M'Lady!_

She stepped back. She came to a realization. It was too much to bear. She couldn't take it. The only thought in her head was that she needed to get away...and fast. Adrien noticed she was freaking out.

"Marinette?" Adrien called her name. She stepped back farther.

 _Adrien...is..._

She shook her head in denial, even though it was now quite obvious what Adrien was trying to tell her.

 _Adrien...is Cat Noir?!_

She turned around and started running.

"Marinette! Wait! Please!" Adrien yelled to her. She kept running, on the verge of crying. She ran wondering why he was telling her this. She remembered what happened during the fight with Troublemaker.

 _That was a close call. Certainly not how I dreamed we'd share our secret identity. Oh no, not like that!_

Her mask was half off.

 _Wait a minute, he wasn't joking when he said that?! He knows I'm Ladybug?! No...no no no!_

She began to cry. She kept on running as fast as she could. All she wanted to do at that very moment was flee. She couldn't keep her thoughts straight. She had no idea how to react to this.

 _We can't know eachother's identities! Why would he do this?!_

Adrien stood there with his hand reaching out to her, even though she was way too far to reach her now. He grew extremely upset. He ruined everything. Thoughts ran through his head.

 _Darn it, I shouldn't have said anything! Things were going so well. I was so close to….so close...to…_

Adrien yelled in anger.

 _Why do I have to be such a screw-up at things like this?! Why?!_

He started to cry. His heart was broken in two. He had never been so upset. He dropped to his knees and pounded the ground with all of his strength. The sobbing didn't stop.

* * *

"Nothing is more painful than a broken heart. It can be a burden _and_ a gift. Who would follow in my villainous footsteps better than my own son?" Hawkmoth said as he stood there, looking out his butterfly shaped window. He held out his hand as an akuma landed on it. He cupped his hands together and turned the bright butterfly into an insect of darkness. He opened his hands and set the akuma free.

"My dear akuma, here...let me offer you a shortcut." He said before taking his cane and creating a portal. The akuma went through it, arriving at Varengeville-sur-Mer in a flash. "Fly, my evil akuma, and mend my son's broken heart with hate and revenge."

Adrien stood there, looking out at the channel. His eyes were red and puffy from all of the crying. His hands were in fists. He had never been so angry at himself in his life. He lost the one chance he had with his one true love. He began to think that after this, he could never love again. The dark thoughts grew stronger. The anger and fury rushed through his veins. He started to cry again.

The akuma was inches away from him. It caught sight of the photo of Marinette and flew towards him. Adrien didn't notice it at all because he was too distraught. The akuma touched the photo and attempted to take control. Adrien felt the darkness begin to consume him. He tried to fight it with all of his might, knowing what would become of him if he didn't.

"No…no! Hawkmoth don't...don't you dare!" Adrien yelled, holding his head, trying to think of positive thoughts. None could come to mind. There was nothing worth being happy over. The mark of the purple butterfly appeared on his face.

"Well hello, dear child." Hawkmoth spoke to him.

"I'm not...going to...give into y-your games, Hawkmoth!" Adrien grunted, struggling to stay strong and positive.

"Why do you resist? You've lost your chances with someone you've truly loved. She ran away and disappeared because she couldn't accept you. What if I told you that you can make others feel the pain you're feeling right now?" Hawkmoth said to him, convincing him to give into his power.

"Sh...shut up! I'm not going to listen to you!" Adrien kept on fighting.

"Oh, but you will. Why should you have to be the only one suffering? They should understand what it feels like when someone runs away after opening up about your feelings. You wouldn't be alone in this world ever again. Everyone will know exactly what it feels like to be you. They will feel the torment of loneliness. You will just have to do a favor for me later on. Have we got ourselves a deal?" Hawkmoth convinced him. Adrien began to give in. Suddenly, he lost control completely. The evil power took over him. He lifted his head and gave an evil smirk.

It was too late.

Adrien was taken.

"Now, Couverture, what do you say?"

"The pain in my heart will spread like the plague...and I will enjoy every minute of it." Adrien said.

 **CHAPTER 4 COMING SOON!**


	4. Emotions Run Wild

**UPDATE 7/10/18 : I changed the ending of chapter 3 VERY slightly so if you want to go back to that chapter and take a look at it, I would recommend doing that. The same plot happens. I just changed the dialogue a little bit so this chapter would fit correctly. Thanks for reading guys! :)**

 **WATCH THE EPISODE "TROUBLEMAKER" BEFORE READING THIS STORY!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Emotions Run Wild**

A wave of darkness came from the photo of Marinette and spread all over Adrien. His clothes transformed into a bodysuit of red and black. He wore black gloves and a worn-down cape with a hood over his head. On his right leg was a pocket holding the photo of Marinette. His eyes were filled with black and his pupils glowed a blood red. His face shifted to an evil look.

"Now, time to show Paris what true pain really feels like." Couverture said to himself, snickering. He levitated off the ground. He flew with lightning speed away from the channel, heading to Paris. Plagg was sitting inside a camera bag, away from Couverture. He peeked out of the bag, seeing what used to be Adrien, farther away, completely transformed into an evil villain. Noticing Adrien's transformation, he gasped.

"No...ohhhh no no no no no!" Plagg said to himself in a panic. He snuck away and flew as fast as he could. "I have to find Ladybug!"

* * *

After running far away from the photoshoot set, Marinette sat by the edge of another cliff. She was in shock. She tried to clear her head and calm herself down, which was hard for her. The fact that Cat Noir and Adrien were the same people was, in her eyes, unexpected. To her, they were both like two different people. Tikki came out of Marinette's purse, noticing the sheer shock in her eyes.

"Marinette?" Tikki said as she fully emerged from the purse and placed her hand on her arm. Marinette didn't turn her head. She kept looking out at the channel.

"Tikki…" Marinette spoke. "I don't...I don't know how…" Marinette couldn't complete her sentences. Too many thoughts ran through her head. She couldn't find the words to speak clearly. Tikki looked to the ground and sighed.

"Why'd you run off? I thought everything was going great." Tikki asked her.

"Tikki, you saw who Cat Noir was when we fought Dark Owl. You saw who he was with your own eyes." Marinette told her.

"Yes, I did. Why do you mention it?" Tikki asked her. Marinette took a deep breath.

"You heard what Adrien called me. He called me…" She closed her eyes shut and took another breath. She turned her head to Tikki. "He called me M'Lady."

"Marinette, I….I wanted to tell you but-" Tikki said before Marinette interrupted her.

"Then why didn't you?!" Marinette yelled at her. Tikki let go of her arm. "We could have been together by now! We could have been...walking through the park holding hands and...getting ice cream at André's and...we would have had…" Her voice started to shake. "...our first ki-...ki-" Marinette stopped herself, remembering something that happened when she and Cat Noir fought Dark Cupid. "Oh...ohhhh we kissed already…we actually ki-" Marinette was speechless once again. She was doing nothing but making herself more upset. She sighed and turned her head back, facing the water. She placed her face in her palms, frustrated. Tikki frowned.

"Well, I wanted the two of you to find out on your own somehow. It just turns out Adrien found out first somehow." Tikki said to her.

"I think he found out while we fought Troublemaker." Marinette told her.

"How so?" Tikki asked her. Marinette removed her hands from her face.

"My mask disappeared halfway when she took off one of my earrings." Marinette facepalmed. "I think Cat Noir...or...Adrien...or whoever...saw my exposed face. It doesn't matter anymore though. The truth is out." Marinette said to her with an aggravated tone. Tikki felt extremely guilty.

"I wanted to tell you. I really did. I just thought that you should have gotten to know both sides of Adrien instead of just knowing the one." Marinette shifted her gaze to Tikki again. "I was just trying to do what's best for the both of you. I didn't mean to hurt you." Tikki was extremely upset. There has never been a time where Marinette was so furious at her. She turned around so Marinette couldn't see the pained look on her face. Marinette felt the guilt radiating off of Tikki.

"Tikki, I'm sorry. I...I didn't mean to lash out. I know you did what you had to do. You've done nothing wrong." Marinette took Tikki in her hands, pulled her close, and kissed her forehead. Tikki smiled, relieved. Marinette smiled back before letting her go and frowning again. "I just...I shouldn't have run away. I just never would have suspected that Adrien... _my_ Adrien...was fighting supervillains right beside me this whole time. I didn't know what to say or do so my first thought was to run." Marinette frowned again. "Now I dread to think how he feels about me now. He probably thinks I hate him now because he's Cat Noir." Marinette said before dropping her head in shame. Tikki tried to think positive.

"Well, do you?" Tikki asked her. Marinette kept her head down.

"Why would you say that? Of course not! I still love him with every fiber of my being!" Marinette told her passionately. Tikki blinked. _Wow. At least that hasn't changed._ She cleared her throat.

"How about Cat Noir? How do you feel about him...even though they are the same person?" Tikki asked her. Marinette had to think for a second.

"Well, I...I like Cat Noir too. I mean, Cat Noir is such a nice person. He's funny, strong, brave...he's-" Marinette stopped talking, "...wait a minute..." Marinette said with a smile. Tikki raised an eyebrow at her. "I guess I wouldn't mind being with Cat Noir either…even though they're the same person...wow this is getting confusing." Marinette said as she scratched the top of her head. Tikki smiled before flying in front of her face.

"Well then, what are you doing sitting here?" Tikki said, pointing to where she was sitting. Marinette blinked.

"Um...I...uh…" Marinette didn't know how to respond.

"If you don't want him to think that you hate him for being Cat Noir, you need to go to him and tell him how you really feel about him." Tikki told her. Marinette became determined. Tikki was right. Marinette had to go to him and tell him the truth.

"You're right Tikki..." Marinette's spirit lifted. She stood up. "I can fix this. I can make everything better!" She said proudly.

"That's the spirit!" Tikki said to her. Marinette was about to run back until she heard someone call out her superhero persona's name.

"Ladybug! Ladybug!" Plagg said as he ran towards her and Tikki. Marinette pretended like she had nothing to do with Ladybug. Plagg stopped himself suddenly, trying not to run into Marinette. He panted from flying so much. "Lady...bug….I need...your help…" Plagg said, out of breath, "Also….have any camembert? I'm wasting away to nothing here." Marinette stood there like she didn't have a clue of what he was talking about.

"L-ladybug? Who...uh what...there's no Ladybug around here." She stuttered before nervously coughing. Plagg turned to Tikki.

"Okay, introductions. Let's make them quick. I'm Plagg. Cat Noir's kwami. Nice to meet you. Now, I'm going to ask again, do you have any camembert?"

"Plagg, she knows who Cat Noir is now." Tikki replied to him. Plagg took a double take.

"Oh….finally! I'll tell you, you two have been so oblivious!" Plagg exclaimed. Marinette stood there, dumbfounded.

"That's what I thought too! I mean, Marinette has the same hairstyle _and_ color! How could nobody notice?" Tikki replied.

"People aren't really that observant nowadays, are they?" Plagg responded. Marinette raised her hand in the air, wanting to talk. She cleared her throat which got both kwami's attention.

"So...wait, you're Adrien's kwami? Then shouldn't you be with him right now?" She asked him. More thoughts began to race through her head. _I can't believe I'm saying Adrien has a kwami…_

"That's why I rushed over here! Adrien's in trouble! He's been akumatized by Hawkmoth!" Plagg told them. They gasped. Marinette put her hands over her mouth.

* * *

Time went by. Couverture arrived in Paris. He observed his surroundings, seeing couples holding hands as they walked down the street. Filled with hate, he growled. He couldn't stand seeing true love happen with people other than himself. He decided to end it all.

"Not on my watch." Couverture said. He shifted his hands towards a man holding his significant other's hand in the crowd. He was zapped with a flash of light. The man began to look around. He became frightened.

"Wait where...where did everyone go? Elaine where are you?!" The man shouted. Little did he know that she was still right next to him as well as many other people standing around him, watching him start to lose his mind.

"Mathieu? I'm right here. What do you mean by 'where did everyone go'?" Elaine asked him. He kept on shouting.

"Elaine?! Anyone?! HELLO!" Mathieu exclaimed. Elaine grew terrified. She had no idea what was going on. She turned her head towards Couverture, who had his hands out in her direction. He zapped her too, making her experience the same fate as Mathieu.

"Mathieu….Mathieu?! Where did you go!? Where...where did everyone go?! No no no I'm all alone! Somebody help me!" Elaine exclaimed. Everyone around them realized what Couverture was capable of and started running. Couverture hit more and more of them. The more people he zapped, the more the town looked as if it were starting to lose its mind.

"Now you see what I have to deal with. How does it feel; being all alone, having everyone gone in a flash. I've had way too many people I care about disappear...in some cases, because of me. No more. I'm not going to be the only lonely soul in this city any longer. You will all suffer with me, whether you like it or not!" He exclaimed before flying off to another part of the city.

* * *

"No...no no no no!" Marinette panicked. "This is all my fault! If I didn't run away, none of this would have happened!" Marinette said. She became mad at herself. She felt incredibly stupid for what she did. Suddenly, she heard an alert come from her phone. She took it out, seeing that a news alert popped up. She opened up to reveal a video coming from Paris. Nadia Shamok was reporting the news broadcast.

"Reports indicate that an extremely powerful supervillain named Couverture has begun to attack Paris. Many of the citizens have begun to lose their minds, thinking that everyone has disappeared when yet, there are people are right in front of their faces. Our sources say that the villain is indeed, akumatized. We also have reports that the akumatized victim is the son of the famous fashion designer, Gabriel Agreste. Agreste had this to say."

"My son would never harm the citizens of Paris. He is a respectable gentleman. I believe that Ladybug and Cat Noir will be here to bring my son back to me. A man can only hope." Gabriel said on camera.

"Everybody please seek shelter and remain calm. We are sure that Ladybug and Cat Noir will be here to take care of everything and save us from this madness." Nadia said before the news camera zoomed in on Couverture. Marinette gasped.

"Adrien...I can't believe he looks like that...because...because of me." Marinette began to cry. Tikki and Plagg tried to help her out.

"Marinette, you may be the cause of this. That means you can also be the person that fixes it. If there were any time we need Ladybug, it's now!" Tikki said. Marinette looked out at the channel, processing her thoughts once again. She felt so guilty about hurting Adrien that she never thought it would turn to something this drastic. She realized that she must have hurt Adrien really bad if he was akumatized and turned into a supervillain. What she definitely knew was that she had to do something. She decided that she had to put all of her emotions aside. It was time to save Paris.

"You're right. Time to fix the problem I started." Marinette said before standing up. She got into position. "Tikki, spots on!" Marinette said to her. Tikki flew her way into Marinette's earrings. Marinette waved her hands in front of her face, creating her Ladybug mask. She waved her arm to her side. A wave of light traveled from her hand down to her feet, creating the iconic red and black suit. Her magical yo-yo appeared on the side of her hip. Suddenly, she was transformed into Ladybug, superheroine of Paris. Plagg blinked in astonishment.

"Showoff." Plagg said, even though he was quite impressed with her transformation. Ladybug shook her head in amusement. She turned her head to Plagg.

"Are you usually like this?" Ladybug asked him. Plagg gasped.

"Hey, I'm not going to apologize for my personality." Plagg said as he crossed his arms. Ladybug laughed.

"So this _is_ how you normally are then. You're a lot different from Tikki. No wonder Cat Noir...or Adrien...or...wow, this is so confusing! Um, no wonder Adrien acts so goofy as Cat Noir. You are just the same." Ladybug said as she scratched her head, smiling.

"Actually, that's the kind of person he really is. He loves to make people laugh and really cares for others. He's one of those kinds of people that gets distraught when someone is sad. He's someone that wants to help the world. That's one reason why Master Fu chose him as Cat Noir. I mean, he's kind of shy when he's around people he isn't really close to but...he's really started to open up around you...he really likes you, Ladybug." Plagg explained. "With the kind of life he lives, it's hard for him to open up. You have been his way of escape; a free pass to being himself."

"And...now that he knows I'm Ladybug he…" Ladybug said before being interrupted.

"That's not entirely true. Ever since he gave you that umbrella, I've noticed he's had a special bond with you. You were the first person to really touch his heart and wipe away the fear of showing who he really is." Plagg began to tell Ladybug. Her mouth gaped. "He's always liked you. He's just...not the best at realizing his own feelings." Ladybug couldn't help but smile. She never realized how much of an impact she's made on him. She couldn't feel any more special than she did at that moment. That gave her even more confidence.

"Thanks, Plagg. I...I really needed to hear that." Ladybug said to Plagg. He smiled. He could see the sheer joy in Ladybug's eyes. "Okay, Adrien's in Paris right? It'll take me too long to get there on foot. Even my yo-yo won't get me there soon enough. There must be a faster way." Marinette said as she cupped her chin with one hand, looking up at the sky, lost in thought.

"Then what are you gonna do? Adrien's going to destroy the whole city if you don't get there in time!" Plagg asked her with his arms waving. Ladybug had an idea. She took her yo-yo and started to dial a number.

"I'm making a call." Ladybug said to him.

* * *

The police began to spread all over the city. Knowing that it was Gabriel Agreste's son that was akumatized, they knew that they needed to be extra careful not to hurt him since he is a celebrity. They all stood there in the middle of the street, listening attentively to Mayor Bourgeois' commands.

"We all need to take caution. Until Ladybug and Cat Noir arrive, we need to protect the citizens of Paris as much as we can. Under no circumstances may any harm come to the akumatized victim. Are we clear?" Mayor Bourgeois commanded.

"Sir, yes, sir!" The police exclaimed as they saluted.

"Don't worry, Mr. Mayor. We will make sure that Adrien is safe from any harm." Sabrina's dad said to the Mayor.

"Well, you better or else you will be sued a hundredfold!" Gabriel Agreste said via video chat on a cell phone. The Mayor turned to Gabriel.

"Don't you worry, Mr. Agreste. Your son will be safe. There is no police force more equipped for this kind of situation better than the one we have here in Paris." Mayor Bourgeois reassured him.

"That is correct. Your son is in good hands." Sabrina's dad said to him. Gabriel nodded his head before he hung up on the call. Mayor Bourgeois turned to Sabrina's dad.

"Now if we want to keep all of Paris safe, we have to hurry."

"Well then, you better get started. Go on." Couverture said as he reached his hands out towards them.

"Run."

 **CHAPTER 5 COMING SOON!**


	5. Calling For Help

**WATCH THE EPISODE "TROUBLEMAKER" BEFORE READING THIS STORY!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Calling for Help**

"So who are you calling again?" Plagg asked Ladybug with her yo-yo held in front of her. Ladybug was pacing back and forth. Plagg followed her.

"Someone I never...EVER...thought I would ask for help from." Ladybug said with slight regret. The yo-yo was on speaker. The dial tone rang. A voice was heard.

"What do you want?" Chloe Bourgeois answered the phone. Ladybug rolled her eyes at the way she answered the phone. She took a deep breath, regretting what she was doing. She couldn't believe she was calling the one person that bullies her constantly.

"Chloe. It's Ladybug. I…"Ladybug gritted her teeth. "...need your help."

"Ladybug!? Asking _me_ for help?!...well, of course, why wouldn't you? We're talking about me here. Where are you? You're taking long enough to get here you know." Chloe complained. Ladybug groaned at her nagging. _Even when Paris is in danger, she still acts super selfish!_ Ladybug decided to put her thoughts towards Chloe aside and focus on the real problem; Paris and Adrien. She spoke again.

"Listen, your family owns other estates and hotels around France, right?" Ladybug asked her as she paced back and forth.

"Yeah, why?"

"Do any of them by chance happen to be near Varengeville-sur-Mer?" Ladybug asked her. Plagg watched her walking around, confused at what she was doing.

"I don't see where you're going with this at all." Plagg said to her. Ladybug shushed him. She wondered how Adrien dealt with Plagg all the time.

"Yeah. It's a 5-star hotel too with its own small airport. We have our own high-speed jet, the very best for the Bourgeoises. I honestly don't see where you're going with this though." Chloe told her. Ladybug grew a confident grin on her face. Finally, a light of hope came around for her.

"That's what I said!" Plagg exclaimed. Ladybug shushed him even louder than before. _Would he be quiet?!_

"Who's that? Is that Cat Noir? HI CAT NOIR! COME SAVE ME!" Chloe exclaimed. Ladybug covered the yo-yo with her hand. She glared at Plagg.

"Do you want yourself to be discovered?" Ladybug asked him in annoyance. Plagg shrugged his shoulders.

"Listen, I'm just trying to understand what's going on. Plus, I still didn't get any camembert." Plagg said, floating with his arms crossed. Ladybug rolled her eyes.

"You'll get some later. I promise." Ladybug told him before taking her hand off of the yo-yo. "Chloe, I need to borrow your jet."

"Hmmm…" Chloe thought for a minute. Ladybug waited there, anxious whether she would say yes or no. "This would be the first time someone other than a Bourgeois has ever been in the jet…" Chloe said to herself, hesitant. Ladybug started grinding her teeth again.

"CHLOE!" Ladybug exclaimed. She couldn't take Chloe's stuck up personality during a time like this. Adrien and all of Paris was in trouble and Chloe was only thinking about herself.

"Fiiiine. Keep it in one piece though. I need it for my slumber party next week. Where are you exactly?" Chloe asked her. Ladybug couldn't take it anymore.

"Varengeville-sur-Mer. I'll send a signal so that the pilot can track my position. Now hurry Chloe! There's no time to waste!" Ladybug said.

"Okay, okay. I'm going as fast as I can." She paused for a second. "...you wanna...come to my slumber party next week?" Chloe asked, before realizing Ladybug already hung up on her. Ladybug sighed. She was so glad to be off the phone call.

"Well, it's not my preferred way of asking for help, but at least it solved one of our problems." Ladybug said, trying to look positive on the situation. Plagg smiled.

"Good thinking. So when is the jet going to get here?" Plagg asked her.

"If Chloe goes fast enough, it should be here soon." Ladybug replied. She took her yo-yo and pressed a few buttons. It started to ping, sending a tracking signal for the soon-to-be flying jet to follow.

* * *

Chloe was in her room hiding under her bed from the terror that was being unleashed outside. Once she saw Ladybug hung up, she yelled for her father.

"Daddy!" Mayor Bourgeois ran into the room in a panic.

"My little pumpkin are you alright? You're not hurt are you?" He gasped. Chloe came out from under the bed, realizing her dad was overreacting. He looked down at her. "You're hurt, aren't you?!" He looked up. "WE NEED A MEDIC IMMED-" Chloe got up, took her hand and covered his mouth as her face filled with frustration. He turned his gaze to her.

"Daddy, ugh, I'm fine. Ladybug called." Chloe told him. Mayor Bourgeois grew a smile on his face.

"She did? Oh, wonderful! We're saved! Where is she? Did she tell you?" The Mayor asked her as he put his hands on her shoulders. Chloe shook her head no.

"No. That's why she called. She needs one of our jets. She's in Varengeville-sur-Mer or whatever the place is." Chloe told him. His face brightened with determination.

"We will get her the fastest jet we have, my beautiful princess. Don't you worry." He told his daughter. Chloe smiled with relief. He turned himself to face the door.

"Butler! Phone!" He yelled. Jean the Butler rushed to the door, Holding a tray in his hand. On the tray was a cell phone.

"Your phone, sir." Jean said with his French accent, trying to hide the fact that he was panting from running to Chloe's room. The mayor picked up the cell phone and dialed a number. The dial tone rang. A voice was heard.

"Bourgeois Airlines. This is Enzo speaking. How may I help you?" Enzo, a man working at the front desk, said on the phone.

"Enzo, this is Mayor Bourgeois, prestige owner of this airline and mayor of Paris. I need you to get one of those jets to Ladybug's position AT ONCE!" The mayor exclaimed. Enzo began to panic.

"Mr. Bourgeois!" Enzo exclaimed in shock. "I uh...of...o-o-of c-course sir! Right away sir." Enzo quickly said as he quickly took his radio out. "Gabin!" He called the pilot of the fastest jet they had. "Ladybug needs a jet to pick her up at once. Paris is in trouble!" Enzo urgently commanded.

"Roger. I'm about to take off. I see her signal from the ground. I'm 3 minutes away from her position." Gabin said as he was about to take off in the jet.

"Roger that. Over and out." He said as he put the radio away. He picked up the phone and began taking to Mayor Bourgeois again. "He's on his way sir. His estimated time of arrival to Ladybug is 3 minutes."

"Good." The mayor said as he looked out the window of Chloe's bedroom, seeing Adrien and his evil might. "We need Ladybug as soon as possible."

* * *

Couverture continued turning the innocent citizens of Paris into lonely souls. He was furious. However, the more crazed minds he created, the angrier he became.

"Now I won't be the only one standing alone. Everyone will feel the same pain and agony I do. Everyone will feel exactly what I've gone through for so many years!" He said to himself. He saw a group of people running down the street. He moved his hands out towards them, zapping every person he could. "Nothing will stand in my way. Nothing!" Adrien said with a furious look on his face before maniacally laughing.

"Excellent." Hawkmoth said to himself, proud of his son and the evil being that he has become. "Who knew my son had my evil genetics. It won't be long before Ladybug and Cat Noir come face to face with sheer terror." Hawkmoth said before letting out evil laughter. Couverture got Hawkmoth's attention

"So, Hawkmoth, what is this favor I have to do for you? What do you need from me? Gold? Jewels?" Couverture thought to himself, then snickered. "A hot date?" Hawkmoth growled at the comment. Hawkmoth was hesitant to tell him but decided not to reveal what he wanted. He saw that his son was heartbroken already. He wanted to make sure Adrien was satisfied first.

"I will tell you in due time. For now, make Paris weep." Hawkmoth told him. Couverture snickered to himself.

"Don't you worry your brilliant head, Feather Brain. Your wish is my command." Couverture said. Hawkmoth had a look of sheer disgust on his face.

"What kind of name is Feather Brain? It's Hawkmoth. HAWK. MOTH!" Hawkmoth said, getting angrier and angrier at his remarks.

"Whatever you say." Couverture said before flying to another part of the city.

* * *

Ladybug and Plagg sat there looking out towards the channel, waiting for the jet to arrive The yoyo pinged repeatedly. They were both becoming impatient. The city of Paris was in trouble and all they could do was wait. It drove them insane. Ladybug really hoped that Chloe did what she was told to do. Ladybug sighed.

"I really hope Chloe didn't get distracted." Ladybug said to herself. Plagg turned his head to face her.

"Isn't Chloe like, your biggest fan or something?" Plagg asked her.

"Yeah…" Ladybug replied. She dropped her head. "Unfortunately."

"Then she probably called for the jet to come as fast as possible." Plagg told her.

"Or…" Ladybug said as her head rose. "She _was_ until she went passed a mirror and stopped to look at herself." Plagg thought to himself for a second.

"Man, now you're destroying _my_ hope. Way to be positive." Plagg said as he floated down to the ground, faceplanting.

"Sorry, it's just that Chloe can be...what's the word I'm looking for…" Ladybug looked up at the sky, pondering.

"Selfish, inconsiderate, annoying, a know-it-all, bossy, demanding?" Plagg listed. Ladybug did a double-take.

"Wow...you had more ways of describing her than I did." Ladybug said in shock.

"Oh please. I'm around Adrien all the time. So is Chloe. I've seen the kind of person she is. Frankly, Adrien doesn't enjoy her much either." Plagg told her. Ladybug gasped.

"Wait, really?" Ladybug made sure she heard that correctly.

"Yeah. She can get on his nerves once in a while." Plagg told her. "The reason he lets her hang around him is because they grew up together so...he tries to be as nice as he can."

"Huh...glad he has the same mindset about her as I do." Ladybug replied. It was nice to know he didn't like Chloe. She always worried that Chloe would be the worm on a hook and lure him into a relationship between the two of them. It was nice to know that would never be the case. They grew quiet once again, staring out at the channel. They wish the jet could come sooner; that is if it was coming at all. They didn't like waiting. All they wanted to do was get to Paris and save Adrien. Ladybug turned to Plagg.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Ladybug asked him. Plagg nodded.

"Yes...for some camembert…" Ladybug scowled at him. "Kidding! Kidding." Plagg responded before nervously coughing. Ladybug shook her head in amusement.

"So...did Adrien tell you that he knew I was Ladybug?"

"Yeah, he told me. He said he saw your mask exposed when he and you were fighting Troublemaker. Why are you asking?" Plagg said. Ladybug snapped her fingers. _I knew it..._ Plagg stared at her wondering what she was thinking. She nervously chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck.

"I was just wondering how he reacted. He really kept it quiet after the moment he apparently found out." Ladybug shyly said.

"Well, Adrien might have been quiet then but once he got back home, he was bouncing off the walls. I've never seen him so excited about something. He kept talking about how he wanted to take you somewhere nice and how you were the girl of his dreams and all that." Plagg told her. Suddenly, Ladybug remembered something he said.

 _I already know who you are. You're the girl of my dreams._

Ladybug blushed. _Does...does he really think that?_

"Yes, he really thought that." Plagg said to her. Ladybug blushed, then gasped.

"Wait how did you...do you have mind-reading powers or something?!" Ladybug asked him in shock. Plagg shook his head.

"No. I could just tell by your facial expressions." Plagg replied with a smile. Never did she think that she would be called something like that by the one guy she's had a crush on. She couldn't believe it was real. She began to space out and Plagg noticed.

"You know what? You can think of Adrien all you want. My one true love is my ooey gooeyness." Plagg explained as he started drooling. Ladybug giggled.

"Well judging by your reaction to cheese, it seems like you are in a relationship already." Ladybug chuckled.

"Yes! We are!...until I eat it. Then I'm all alone again" He replied. Ladybug shook her head, amused. Suddenly, a breeze began to blow. Ladybug and Plagg looked up above them, noticing a giant figure above their heads. It was a high-speed jet beginning to land right next to them. Bright lights from the jet shined down on them, blinding their eyes. They quickly got out of the way. Plagg then realized he had to look for a hiding spot so he wouldn't be discovered. He hid inside Ladybug's hair since it was the only hiding place he could spot. She could hear him sniffing around.

"Hey, wha-...what are you doing?" She asked him.

"Your hair smells like hibiscus…" Plagg stopped himself. "Lavender is a better fragrance in my opinion." Ladybug rolled her eyes again.

"Well be careful in there! I wasn't planning on deep scrubbing my hair tonight." Ladybug told him before Gabin, the pilot of the jet, noticed her talking, even though there was no one around to talk to.

"Ladybug? Are you alright? Who are you talking to?" Gabin asked, scratching his head. Ladybug froze.

"I..uh…" Ladybug thought as fast as she could. An idea struck. "Oh, yeah, I was talking to Cat Noir. We...uh...have communication devices...uhh...in our brains!" She said to him. He was baffled. She put her hand to her ear. "You got it Cat Noir. I'm on my way. Yeah very high tech superhero stuff, you know?" Ladybug nervously chuckled. Even though it sounded completely insane, he accepted that answer.

"Roger that, Ladybug. Now, if you wanna get to Paris to save Adrien Agreste, the time is now. Hop on." Gabin said as he motioned for Ladybug to get on board. She ran to the entrance of the jet and climbed inside. The jet took off into the sky on it's way to Paris.

 **CHAPTER 6 COMING SOON!**


	6. Role Model

**WATCH THE EPISODE "TROUBLEMAKER" BEFORE READING THIS STORY!**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Role Model**

Ladybug hopped onto the jet before it took off. Her jaw dropped at what she saw. The interior of the jet was exquisitely furnished. Furniture was neatly arranged around the cabin with a bar in the back. A bartender was waiting to serve. Ladybug stood there, taking it all in.

"Well, looks like I'll be traveling to Paris in style." Ladybug said as she walked around. Plagg poked his head out of her hair to observe everything.

"Okay, there's gotta be some camembert around here." He whispered, feeling the effects of withdrawal. Ladybug put her hand on top of him, pushing him back into her hair. She walked to her right towards a sofa near a window looking out at Varengeville-sur-Mer. She looked out, seeing the clouds, the moon, and the stars. The stars made the sky glow bright and the water below glisten in the moonlight. It was absolutely breathtaking. The waves from the channel sparkled in the moonlight as the jet flew by. As she sat there, gazing out the window, the bartender walked up to her.

"Would you like a beverage, miss?" The bartender asked. She gently raised her palm in front of him.

"Oh, no no I'm okay, but thank you." Ladybug said with a smile. The bartender nodded his head and walked away. Ladybug shifted her gaze to the window again. Suddenly, the bartender came back. He tapped her shoulder. She turned her gaze to him, looking down at something he was holding in his hands. He was holding a piece of paper and a pen. On the paper was a child's drawing of Ladybug and Cat Noir on it. Ladybug looked up at the bartender.

"Pardon me, miss but...my daughter absolutely adores you and Cat Noir and...I was wondering if you would be willing to autograph this for her." The bartender asked.

"Of course I can." Ladybug said as she gently took the drawing and pen in her hand. "Did she draw this?" She asked, admiring the drawing. She began to sign it.

"Yes, she did. She worked on it for a long time." The bartender replied. Ladybug smiled. "You know, you're a great role model for her." Ladybug sighed. She had trouble believing that she could be a role model to anybody.

"See, she's dealing with a pretty rough sickness. It's taken a toll on her." He said, looking away to hide his anguish. "Despite it, she pushes through because she has you to look up to. She always talks about you and how you are brave and always caring for others above yourself." Ladybug didn't know what to say. "She also says that...whenever there's a problem, you're always able to fix it. You always have...and every time you do, she becomes more and more determined to face her fears and conquer whatever comes her way." The bartender explained. Ladybug was moved to the point of tears. She turned back to the window, trying to hide them as best as she could.

"Wow..I...I don't know what to say." Ladybug breathed in awe. "Thank you….for telling me this." She said as she tried to hand the drawing back to the bartender. The bartender pushed the drawing back towards her.

"No, no, keep it with you. She wants an autograph from Cat Noir anyway. You can send it back to us." He said as he took out a notepad and wrote down his address. He ripped the piece of paper off and handed it to her. She nodded before folding up the drawing and the note. She took her yo-yo off of her waist and pressed a button. A little slot came out of it for her to put the drawing and the note. She pressed the same button on her yo-yo to close the slot. The bartender stood there, smiling.

"Tell Cat Noir we both say thank you." He told her. Ladybug nodded.

"I will…" She said, realizing she never learned his name. "What's your name?" Ladybug asked him.

"It's Timothe. My daughter's name is Madeleine." He replied.

"Timothe, thank you so much. Your daughter is truly inspirational." Ladybug said to him. Timothe shook his head.

"Miss, so are you." Timothe replied and walked away. Ladybug was speechless. She would never have thought in a million years that she would impact someone going through so much pain and misery. She fought back the tears as hard as she could. She looked at her yo-yo and sighed. She opened it up, revealing a screen. Pressing a few buttons, she brought up a news broadcast from Paris. She listened to the news report by Nadia Shamok, who was live at the scene.

"Breaking news coming to you live from the city of Paris. Many citizens have been running wild, believing that everyone around them has disappeared. The culprit is a villain who we are told is calling himself Couverture, although reports indicate that the victim is Gabriel Agreste's son, Adrien Agreste, well-known fashion icon." Nadia reported. Video footage appeared on the screen of Couverture. He noticed the cameras recording his every move. He flew closer to them, reaching his hands out towards Nadia. He zapped her, making her think that everyone was gone around her. She began to panic.

"Wait what happened? There were people just there...and there!" She said as she pointed around the streets. "No….no! Is someone there!?" She said before running off into the streets. Couverture took the camera and began to speak to the viewers.

"Listen up, all of you." He said. Ladybug gasped, placing her hand against her mouth. "I won't stop until everyone experiences exactly what I've gone through. Until then, I will continue to make all of you feel as if you were the last person on Earth. You better watch your back, or you're next." He said before he shifted his hand toward the camera. The video feed cut off. Ladybug felt guilty after witnessing what she just saw.

"Can I do this...really...can I?" Ladybug said as she pushed a button on her yo-yo, revealing the slot. She took out the drawing and looked at it. "I mean, I make mistakes all the time. I'm far from perfect." Plagg heard what she was saying. He made sure no one was around, then came out from her hair.

"What are you talking about?" Plagg asked her. Ladybug gasped, unaware that he popped out from in her hair.

"Plagg! Don't scare me like that." Ladybug said to him as she held the drawing in her hand. Plagg noticed it and flew closer to look.

"I couldn't help but notice you're feeling defeated again. Need a pep talk?" Plagg asked her. Ladybug chuckled.

"Plagg, you saw Adrien. This is the most crazed villain I've ever seen so far. Did I hurt him that badly?" Ladybug asked, distraught. Plagg thought for a second.

"Well, compared to the time you once told him you were in love with someone else after he went through all that trouble of setting up that rooftop for you, not knowing that the same guy was right in front of you? Yeah, I think you hurt him pretty bad this time." Plagg said to her truthfully. Ladybug was mad at herself.

"You really aren't helping. You know that right?" Ladybug tried to make him realize, scowling.

"You know what though? You should listen to what Madeleine said." Plagg told her.

"Huh?" Ladybug said.

"She said that if there was any problem, you can fix it." He flew near her head. "Even problems that you've caused. You can fix them just like you fixed all the others." Plagg said with a smile. Ladybug started to feel better.

"Another thing." Ladybug lifted her head to face Plagg. "If there's anything I know about Adrien, he has a big heart. He is a very forgiving person. He forgives his father every day, even though he doesn't act like much of a father."

"Yeah, I remember him saying he can't go anywhere without his bodyguard. Whenever we and our friends plan on meeting up somewhere, he has to back out all the time because of his father. It's like...he's trapped." Ladybug sighed. "I can't even imagine...being trapped in a mansion all day, not being able to do anything."

"Not only that, but he has to lock up his personality too. He can never be himself when he wants to. He has to wear a mask all the time...figuratively, of course." Plagg explained. Ladybug felt so bad. "Still though, after all of those things that his father does, he still forgives and loves him just the same. If I know anything about Adrien, I feel like he would forgive you too." Ladybug looked down. "He...he really does love you Ladybug...enough so to forgive you no matter the circumstances." Ladybug smiled with relief.

"You think so?" Ladybug asked him. Plagg nodded.

"Thanks, Plagg. I...I needed that pep talk." Ladybug told him. Plagg brushed off his shoulders.

"Hey, I'm not just here for the transformations. I'm filled with words of wisdom." Plagg said to her.

"I guess you give those words of wisdom to Adrien once in a while, huh…" Ladybug asked. Plagg nodded again.

"Yeah, but you're the one person that really keeps him going. You really make him happy, even in his 'darkest' days…" Plagg chuckled. "Get it? He's a black cat so he wears nothing but dark clothing and…" Ladybug stared at him blankly. "Nevermind." Ladybug started to chuckle. "Oh, now you laugh." Plagg said to her.

"Sorry, delayed reaction I guess." Ladybug told him before noticing Timothe walking towards her again. Plagg noticed him approaching and hid back in Ladybug's hair. He was holding a tray with a cell phone. His hands were shaking, making the tray wobble.

"Miss, you...um...have a call." Timothe said, holding the tray out towards her. She noticed that he was tense. Sweat was dripping from his brow.

"Um...thanks Timothe." She said, nervously. She grabbed the cell phone and put it up to her ear. "This is Ladybug." She said into the phone.

"Well, Ladybug, you haven't forgotten about your precious Parisian citizens. I must say, I'm quite shocked. You're taking your sweet old time."

Couverture was on the other end of the call.

"Adrien?" Ladybug responded.

"Heck, no. Adrien's dead. Couverture is my name now." Couverture said angrily. Ladybug tried to hold herself together.

"No...no you're not. You're Adrien Agreste...great friend and loving person. I know you're still in there…." Ladybug said, trying to bring him back. There was no use though.

"You can forget trying to bring your precious Adrien back; that is if he is still precious to you. After that whole fiasco not too long ago, I wouldn't be so sure now. As of right now, I have complete control of the mayor's office." He said as he sat in the mayor's office in front of his desk. He had his feet propped up on the desk like he didn't have a care for anyone else in the city. "Let's just say Mayor Bourgeois and his...ugh, extremely annoying daughter, have...hmmm what's the term I'm looking for?" He chuckled to himself. "I got it...lost it." He said. Ladybug understood. The mayor and Chloe were hit by Couverture's power. Ladybug could hear them screaming in the background.

"Where is everybody?! I can't live on my own! I can't handle the life of a poor person! I'm allergic to poverty!" Chloe exclaimed. Ladybug was in shock. He's stronger than she thought he was. She knew now that she wasn't dealing with an everyday akumatized victim. Then again, she knew that from the very beginning. It was the love of her life she was trying to save.

"He is precious to me! You should know because you _are_ him! Now, please stop this! There's a better way!" Ladybug said, standing up with her free hand clenched into a fist.

"Hah, you know nothing Ladybug. I'm done playing nice. Now the whole city has had only a small taste of what I'm capable of. They have felt the sting of fear from my very hands! Now they feel nothing but loneliness and mania. Oh, and guess what?"

"What? Am I next? I've heard it all before. Adrien, listen to me. I get you're upset. I'm...I'm sorry, okay? I really am. Why don't you just...calm down and talk to me? We can fix this. I promise you." Ladybug said, trying to stop him from causing any damage. Couverture laughed.

"Like I'm going to believe that. If you really think you can fix everything, come meet me face to face. Let's see if you really mean it." He said, playing with the phone cord. "Also, how many times do I have to remind you that Adrien's gone? He's _never_ coming back. May I remind you who's fault it is?" Couverture said to her, making Ladybug even angrier. She took a deep breath to keep herself calm. She decided to ignore the question.

"Adrien. I know you're in there. I'm coming to save you. I promise you." Ladybug said, disregarding what Couverture just said to her. Couverture's anger grew.

"Whatever. Just be ready when you get to Paris. You have a heck of a battle to fight...and lose may I add." Couverture told her.

"Then why haven't you come to me now while I'm sitting on this jet?" Ladybug asked him, confused. "If I were a villain I would strike down the enemy with every chance I got."

"Are you kidding me? I have a whole entire city under my control! I finally... _finally_ have the whole of Paris experiencing my agony and misery. I open up about something for once in my life and what does it do? It makes others run away, leaving me in the dark. Now every citizen in this city is suffering through this with me. I'm not alone anymore. Plus, wouldn't it be more fun making you wait? It is for me. Just watching the fear grow inside you with every minute that passes by satisfies me. Just know that I'm prepared…and you're going to lose this battle Ladybug." Couverture said to her. Ladybug didn't even respond. She pressed the end call button on her cell phone. She started dialing a number, then put the phone up to her ear. It went straight to voicemail. A voice was heard.

"Bonjour! You've reached Tom and Sabine Dupain-Cheng. If you could, please leave a message and we'll get back to you as soon as we can. Thanks!"

Ladybug hung up on the call. She started to dial another number. It also went straight to voicemail. A voice was heard again.

"What's up! This is Alya. I'm not able to talk right now. Just leave a message after the beep!" Ladybug hung up once again. She had one thought in her mind.

 _Adrien got to them…_

She looked out the window, seeing the bright moon and shining stars while they were still there.

"I'm coming, Adrien. Don't worry." Ladybug said.

 **CHAPTER 7 COMING SOON!**

 **P.S. The last couple of chapters are going to come out pretty quick now so get ready!**


	7. Running on Luck

**WATCH THE EPISODE "TROUBLEMAKER" BEFORE READING THIS STORY!**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Running On Luck**

"Ladybug?" Gabin called over the intercom of the jet.

"I'm all ears, Gabin." Ladybug responded.

"We've arrived at our destination. I'm landing outside of the city so you are out of harm's way for the time being. Get ready." Gabin warned her. She stood up, walking over to a parachute pack nearby the door. She picked it up, put it on her back, and grabbed the plane door handle. She opened the door, revealing nothing but open air. She felt the strong winds blow against her, making her hold on to the plane to keep balance. She looked down and saw a starlit field filled with hay. Taking a deep breath, she prepared to jump out of the plane, when, Gabin's voice called out to her.

"Good luck, Ladybug! Godspeed!"

"Thank you, sir!" She said. She turned her head in the opposite direction, seeing Timothe standing there.

"Thank you Ladybug...for everything you've done and have been doing." Timothe said to her with a smile.

"Don't mention it." She replied before jumping out of the plane. The wind screamed into Ladybug's ears as she fell. It was hard to breathe because the wind was whipping at her face. Soon, she realized she was close to the ground. She took the string from her parachute and pulled it. Wheezing as the straps of her chute tugged at her violently as the parachute deployed, she descended safely to the ground. (need more description, smooth jazz landing)

(parachutes like to entangle people, get her outta there XD). As her feet touched the hay, the parachute landed on top of her. She spazzed out, trying to get herself out of the chute.

"Where is the end of this thing?!" Ladybug exclaimed, frantically trying to escape the chute. Struggling against the heavy sail, she finally reached the edge of the chute. Once she was free, she unbuckled the straps of her harness. Suddenly, she heard the sounds of screaming. She turned her head to see a city filled with smoke and bright light. The sky grew orange as if fires were taking over the city. She gasped.

"Please don't tell me that's the city." Ladybug said, staring ahead at the once happy-go-lucky city she called home." Plagg came out from her hair.

"Okay….it's not the city." Plagg told her. Ladybug looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. He shrugged.

"What? You told me not to tell you." Plagg told her. Ladybug sighed. She grabbed the yo-yo in her hand.

"Get ready. I'm not going to slow down for anything." Ladybug said. Plagg climbed inside of her hair, preparing himself for the ride.

Unable to find a good launching point in the darkness, Ladybug haphazardly threw her yo-yo, sighing in relief as she felt the string jerk tight. She soared through the air, throwing her yo-yo at each tree that came close by. She could feel the wind push against her whole body, making her swing with even more strength. She squinted her eyes, trying to see as the wind blew against her face.

* * *

Hawkmoth sensed a great deal of determination within someone nearby. He could only guess who that someone was. He smirked.

"Ahh, the spotted hero finally approaches." He said. He tried to sense Cat Noir's emotion. However, he couldn't sense anyone other than Ladybug. He realized that she was alone. "Strange...Cat Noir should be with her. Where is he?" Hawkmoth was confused. He expected him to be right beside Ladybug as always. He decided to use that to his advantage. "No matter, this might be a benefit to our side." He grinned. "Couverture, Ladybug is approaching."

"Really? Finally, the one person I've been so looking forward to tearing apart." Couverture said as he looked out a window nearby the Mayor's desk, taking in the destruction and chaos that he had successfully created. He enjoyed hearing the townspeople's high pitched screams and smoke coming from the windows of THE buildings around him. He watched as the citizens ran around, in a constant state of insanity. "Now, are you going to tell me that favor of yours or are you going to continue to keep me guessing what it is you want." He asked. Hawkmoth thought carefully. Since Ladybug was alone, he thought that it would be easier to take her miraculous now then when Cat Noir showed up; that is if he did show up at all.

"Yes, you don't have to wait any longer. When you confront Ladybug, I need you to take her Miraculous; her earrings.. Once you have them in your possession, bring them to me." Hawkmoth told him.

"Oh please, it'll be a piece of cake. One zap…" Couverture said as he held his hand in front of his face. Electric bolts surrounded it. "And she's mine."

"Good. Now, get the job done." Hawkmoth ordered him. Couverture turned around and walked towards the door, smirking. "I'm not going to hold back at all this time. She is going to get what she truly deserves." Couverture said, walking through the doorway.

* * *

After a few minutes of swinging through the air, she had the city in her sights. Once she was close enough, she brought the yo-yo back to her hand. She dropped to the ground and rolled forward so she could land safely. She was finally within the streets of Paris.

She lifted her head, gazing around at the condition of the city. Around her was destruction; cars flipped over, fire hydrants destroyed, causing water to spout out of the ground, smoke coming from building windows. All around, citizens were running around, acting as if they were suffering from mental insanity.

"My gosh." Ladybug sighed. She walked around some more, observing the damage done. A man was running right towards her, about to run right into her. She tried to get the man's attention. "Um, sir?" The man didn't even react. He continued to run right for her. She yelped and rolled out of the way, avoiding the man. Little did she know that there was a woman coming towards her from the other direction. The woman didn't hit her though. Instead, Ladybug went right through the woman. It was as if the woman was a ghost.

"Huh? What just happened?" Ladybug asked herself. She observed herself carefully before realizing that the woman phased through her. Plagg came out from in her hair.

"Did she just walk right through us?" Plagg said to her before holding his tummy. "Ugh, now _that_ really messed with my insides."

"Not only that. It's like...she didn't even see me." Ladybug responded. She looked straight ahead, seeing citizens running into each other, phasing through one another as they ran around. "I wonder if, when you're hit, everyone around you turns invisible."

"Hmm...seems like a plausible explanation. Let's just go with that before we make this too complicated." Plagg told her. Ladybug rolled her eyes.

"It's more than that though. It's like...loneliness…" She sighed. "Oh, Adrien..." She said dropping her head in sorrow. Realizing she had to put her feelings aside for the moment, she brought her attention back to the matter at hand. She cleared her throat.

"Well...now we know somewhat of what Adrien can do to people if they're hit with his power." Ladybug said. She suddenly heard screaming coming from down the street. She could see yellow flashes in the distance.

"Maybe we should hide somewhere so we don't join them." Plagg said to her.

"Good idea." Ladybug responded. She looked to her left, seeing a dark alley. With no hesitation, she ran to it, hiding in the darkness. She peeked out from around the wall for a second, making sure no one had followed her. Plagg came out of her hair.

"Alright, now we figure out where his akuma's hiding. That's our target." Ladybug said, turning her head to Plagg.

"How do you suppose we do that?" Plagg asked her. She pondered.

"Okay, I'm afraid to say this, but if we want to find the akuma, we have to get close to him and observe him. It has to be somewhere on him most likely."

"You do realize you would be walking into a trap right? That's insane!" Plagg said to her.

"There won't be any trap. I just make sure I don't get hit. As I do that, I look for where the akuma is. You gotta trust me with this Plagg." Ladybug responded. Plagg suddenly noticed a dark figure float in midair behind her.

"Ladybug, look out!" He said as he hid in Ladybug's hair again. Couverture was right behind her. Ladybug turned, seeing him charging his hands up. He reached his hand toward her, attempting to blast her with his power. She started jumping from wall to wall until she was able to exit the alley and come behind him. She dropped to the ground and rolled. She came to a kneel and stood up. They both turned, looking at each other. Couverture had an evil smirk on his face.

"Oh, you have no idea how much I have looked forward to this moment. Seeing you terrified just makes my day better and better so I thank you." Couverture told her. Ladybug tried to stay calm and avoid any remarks to make him angrier. The one thing she didn't want to do was fight him.

"Adrien, listen. You don't have to do this. Let's talk about this." Ladybug said to him. Couverture laughed.

"Are you serious? Like I even considered doing that. I like where I am now. Everyone is suffering with me. My loneliness is no more. Why would I stop this now? Please, enlighten me." Couverture said to her, waving his hand towards him, begging for her to keep going.

"...I want to fix this…" Ladybug said softly. She was so hurt by the words that just came out of Couverture's mouth. She couldn't bear it. She had a feeling that she was going to have no choice but to fight him. Couverture had his arms crossed. He thought for a second or two, but was not intrigued one bit.

"Yeah, no, no. That did nothing for me." He said before charging his hands up and waving his arms towards Ladybug. She rolled out of the way again, avoiding the blast. Ladybug raised her head.

"I'm not going to fight you, Adrien! You know I can't do that!" Ladybug said to him.

"Okay, one, how many times do I have to say this? It's Couverture, not Adrien. Adrien's long gone!" He said as he raised his fingers, counting each number. "Two, that's how I know I'm going to win. If you refuse to fight me, I have the upper hand. Simple as that. You might wanna rethink your strategy a little." Couverture reached his hands out at Ladybug once again. Before he could hit her, she rolled to left, avoiding the blast. She stood back up. He attempted to hit her at her head. She ducked. Ladybug raised her body up and backflipped away from Couverture. All of this turning and rolling made her a bit dizzy. As soon as she was on her feet and had her balance back, she ran.

"Wow. She's not just short on plans. She's also a coward. How pathetic." Couverture said as he began to follow her. He kept trying to hit her with every chance he got. Ladybug continued to move left to right, avoiding his every strike. As she kept on running, she headed for a building. She began to run up the wall using her ladybug powers. Couverture sped up and flew over to the edge of the roof, still trying to infect her with his power. When she reached the edge of the roof, Couverture stood there, about to hit her again.

"You know you're just wasting your time running away, right? I'm fast, if not faster than you!" He said, about to strike. She quickly did a backflip and landed on the building across the street. She kept on running. Plagg suddenly peeked out from in her hair, trying his best to hold on and not fly out.

"So uh, just a little suggestion, you know, but umm, I think it's time for a plan B!" Plagg said to her.

"I know, I know, I'm working on it!" Ladybug looked around while paying attention to Couverture's movements. She was going to take any idea at this point. She fully regretted the idea of going after Couverture head on. She underestimated how fast he was. As she kept running, she took a look around, finding anything that would be helpful to her. She looked down at the streets, noticing a huge crowd of people infected with Couverture's power.

"Okay, ready for that plan B?" Ladybug asked Plagg.

"I was ready about 30 minutes ago!" Plagg told her. She jumped off of the roof and headed straight for the crowd. Couverture kept track of her, seeing her jump right into the crowd. He took his hands and reached towards them, zapping the citizens. The crowd all felt a jolt of energy. They yelped and ran off. Couverture couldn't see Ladybug anywhere.

"It's a diversion! Oh, clever, very...VERY clever, Ladybug. It won't be long until I find you though. You can't hide from me forever!" Couverture said as he began flying in all directions, searching. Ladybug stood in another dark alley, out of breath and sweaty. She panted as she watched Couverture and observed him closely. She saw a pocket on his left leg. Looking at it very intensely, she noticed a photograph in it. She suddenly realized what it was.

"Plagg...I think I know...where the Akuma is!" She said to him. Plagg was skeptical.

"Where?" He asked. Ladybug pointed to Couverture.

"There's a photo of me in his pocket. That _has_ to be it!" She told Plagg. Plagg was very pleased.

"Okay, so we found out where the akuma's hiding. Now the question is, how do we get it?" Plagg asked. Ladybug scratched her head in thought.

"Hmmm...he can't shoot me if he can't see me. Maybe if there's some way I can get behind him, I can retrieve the photo." Ladybug said.

"Well whatever you think you have to do, go for it. You might as well try anything at this point." Plagg told her. Ladybug nodded in agreement. She peeked around the wall, noticing Couverture standing by the edge of a nearby building. She took that as her cue to carry out her plan.

"Okay, just follow my lead, Plagg." Ladybug said to him.

"Got it." He said as he crawled back into Ladybug's hair. "Okay, I'm ready now." He said, sounding muffled. Ladybug chuckled a little. She turned around and went through the alley the back way. Ladybug turned to her left and headed towards the building Couverture was standing at. Making sure she was on the other side of it, she began walking up the wall until she reached the roof of the building. Ladybug stopped, seeing Couverture, making sure he didn't notice her come up on the roof. Once she was in the clear, she began to quietly tiptoe her way towards him. She observed her surroundings, making absolute sure there was nothing around her she could trip on or make noise with. Her heart was pounding. The photograph was in her sight. As she moved closer and closer, she reached her hand out, ready to take the photo from out of his pocket. She was inches away from him now. Suddenly, Couverture turned around. He grabbed her neck with his right hand, lifting her in the air with his strength.

"Wrong move, Ladybug" Couverture said to her. Ladybug began gasping for air. His grasp on her neck was incredibly tight. Her vision started becoming foggy. Dizziness had set in. She got a grasp of his hand around her neck, but was unable to get free. He was too strong for her. Plagg peeked out from inside Ladybug's hair, noticing that Couverture was choking her. Since he had to keep his existence a secret, he couldn't do anything about it. He panicked, wishing there was something he could do.

"Oh, come on, Ladybug, think. You can get yourself free!" Plagg whispered, making sure Couverture couldn't hear him. Ladybug started becoming faint from the lack of oxygen. Ladybug attempted to speak with the strength she had left. She stared directly into Couverture's black and red eyes as he did with hers.

"A-ad...rien. P-p...lease." She said to him as she grunted, trying to escape. She tried prying his hands open, but was too weak to do so.

"When will you learn to give up?! Adrien is-...is...isn't...h-here." Couverture said before he started to struggle. His face started wincing as if something was hurting him. He began grunting and groaning. His grip on Ladybug's neck began to loosen. She took it as the opportunity to get free. Ladybug took his hand and yanked it off of her neck. She dropped to the ground, gasping loudly for air. She got up on a knee, trying to regain her strength. Ladybug coughed. She decided not to run just yet. She wanted to know exactly what was happening. Couverture began to speak.

"L-lady...bug…" He said. Ladybug tilted her head towards Couverture. She noticed the black and red in his eyes fading. The beautiful green she always knew started returning. She had a realization.

Couverture wasn't talking anymore.

Adrien was.

Marinette stood up, watching Adrien battle off the negativity inside him. He was holding his head as if he had a headache. He dropped to his knees.

"I'm t-trying to...fight it. R-run. Hide b-before I a...attack...a-again." Adrien told her. Ladybug began shaking her head, watching him suffer.

"No, Adrien. I'm not leaving you!" Ladybug said to him.

"You h...have to!" Adrien responded. She continued shaking her head, not wanting to leave. "GO!" Adrien exclaimed. Ladybug realized she had to. It was better to run now than get zapped by Couverture.

"I'll be back for you, Adrien." She told him as she took her yoyo in her hand once again and flung it in front of her. As soon as she felt the tug, she soared through the air once again. She kept on swinging up above the city until she found an open door of a building. She dropped to the ground and ran towards the door. Once she was through the doorway, she closed the door behind her. Panting and sweating even more than before, she stood there, taking in what in the world just happened. She Plagg came out and came in front of her.

"Well, I had no idea that an akumatized victim can fight the akumas themselves." Plagg said.

"Well, like you said, Adrien has a heart of gold. Maybe all that positivity is so strong it's fighting against the akuma." Ladybug replied as she rubbed her irritated neck. She turned her body towards the door and looked through the little peephole that was built into it. She could see that Couverture was back, floating in midair.

"You won't get away from me this time Ladybug. I will find you!" He yelled with clenched fists. He began to fly around to other parts of the city, looking for Ladybug. She hated seeing Adrien akumatized. She desperately wanted it to be over and for him to be back to normal.

"Okay, so what's plan C then?" Plagg asked her. Ladybug took her yo-yo in her hands.

"Plan C?" She said, a little tired and weak from almost being choked to death. "Well, first we need to bring us a little luck." Ladybug said before flinging her yoyo up in the air.

"Lucky charm!" Ladybug exclaimed. The yoyo started to spin. As it spun, a shimmering light began to flow out of it. Suddenly, an object was formed from it, dropping down into Ladybug's hand. Ladybug took a look at it and gasped.

"What? What is it?" Plagg asked. Ladybug took the object and held it in front of her face.

"This doesn't make any sense…" Ladybug said as she observed what she was holding. "It's...it's the lucky charm I gave Adrien." The lucky charm was covered in red with black spots. She wondered how this could help in any possible way. A flashback came to her mind of the time Adrien came over to practice Mecha Strike III. She visualized the moment she held her hand out to him with the charm in her hand. She pictured the moment Adrien took it in his hand. "He still carries it wherever he goes." Ladybug said before turning, facing the door once again. She looked through the peephole, trying to see if there were anything she could use the lucky charm on or with. She spotted Couverture. His whole body turned into a Ladybug pattern. She gasped again. She suddenly realized what she had to do. She took a deep breath. "Okay…" She said to herself. She backed away from the door. "Plagg, I know what I'm about to do is a little crazy but you're going to have to trust me."

"Wait, what are you doing? What's going on?!" Plagg asked her in confusion. Ladybug stepped away from him, giving herself some room.

"Spots off."

 **CHAPTER 8 COMING SOON!**

 **Also, I have to thank my friend/editor for all of the hard work she's put into editing my story! She deserves so much credit!**


	8. Only Love Can Conquer Hate

**WATCH THE EPISODE "TROUBLEMAKER" BEFORE READING THIS STORY!**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Only Love Can Conquer Hate**

A wave of light traveled up from Ladybug's feet to her head, making her costume disappear and turning her back into Marinette. The lucky charm in her hand disappeared from her hand. Marinette looked down at her hand as it vanished. Tikki suddenly appeared in front of Marinette, confused and worn out. Plagg flew over to her and held her as she regained her strength.

"You okay?" Plagg asked Tikki.

"I'm okay. Thanks." Tikki responded. She turned to see Marinette standing there, looking confident. "M...Marinette? What are you...why are you-" Tikki said before being interrupted. Marinette lifted her head.

"Saving Adrien." Marinette said to her. Tikki scratched the top of her head.

"Wait, what? How can you when you're without your powers?" Plagg asked her.

"I was just thinking the same thing. Marinette, you're not making any sense!" Tikki added.

"Look, I know you weren't there Tikki, but at one moment, Adrien was able to overcome

the akuma controlling him. He's still in there and I think I can give Adrien the strength to defeat Hawkmoth's dark power completely. I think I can bring Adrien back." Marinette explained.

"Wow! Not many people can fight off an akuma's dark power. This is rare." Tikki said.

"Exactly. I feel that I can use this to my advantage." Marinette replied.

"So was finding out where the akuma was completely pointless then?" Plagg asked her.

"I don't know...but I think I might be able to drive it out of Adrien in a way other than breaking the object it is hiding in." Marinette replied. Tikki sighed.

"Marinette?" Tikki flew closer to Marinette. "You do realize that if this doesn't work you're done for? Once he hits you with his power, there's no way back from it." Tikki explained to her. Marinette thought to herself for a second. She took a breath in and walked towards the door, and sighed. She tried to relax. She realized that what she was attempting to do could risk her own life. Fear coursed through her. She clenched her hands in a fist, attempting to gain the little bit of confidence that was left in her.

"...I know. I have to try though. I'm the one who created this mess so...I have to do everything in my power to make all of it right." Marinette shifted her gaze to the left of her. "It's the right thing to do." She turned her body slightly to face Tikki and Plagg. "You two stay here. I...don't want anything to happen to either of you incase I…" Marinette bit her lip. "...you know." Tikki and Plagg frowned, realizing that if Marinette didn't come back from this, they would lose a dear friend and one of the greatest and bravest Ladybugs that they have ever seen.

Marinette turned back to face the door. She took another deep breath. She began to reach towards the door knob. She hesitated for a moment. Regaining that bravery she so desperately needed, she grabbed the door knob and turned it, opening the door and walking out into the carnage that has become of her city. She looked around, seeing destruction all around her. Cars were lit on fire and smoke filled the air, making her eyes burn. She looked up, seeing an orange tinted sky. Parisian citizens were running all around, like wild animals. She could hear nothing but the sounds of screams and cries. She didn't see Couverture around anywhere. She began to walk around, searching for any sights our sounds of him. Suddenly, she heard some crashing to the right of her. She turned her body towards the sound and started running towards it, passing the infected as she ran. As she ran around, flashbacks came to her mind of what has been said to her over the past few hours.

 _Whenever there's a problem, you're always able to fix it…_

 _You're the only person that keeps Adrien going…_

 _You have been Adrien's way of escape; a free pass to being himself…_

 _Adrien really does love you…enough so to forgive you no matter the circumstances…_

 _If there were any time we need you, it's now!_

Marinette grew determined. She ran faster towards the sound of crashing. She started running short on breath. Sweat beads went down her forehead. Marinette wiped them off of her forehead as her eyes were focused in front of her. She stopped suddenly, reaching an intersection. She focused on the sounds around her, listening for any sudden noise hinting at Couverture's position. She closed her eyes and concentrated. She suddenly heard laughing from behind her. She quickly turned seeing Couverture in midair behind her. His arm reached towards Marinette, ready to strike her.

"Of course. I hit about everyone in the city with my power. Who is my last victim? You." He said before attempting to zap her. She gasped before swiftly jumping to her left, avoiding the blast. She looked up at him.

"Adrien, I know you're in there and I know you can hear me." Marinette said. Couverture rolled his eyes. Hawkmoth stood and watched, confused.

"Where's Ladybug? Where did she go?! Where are Ladybug and Cat Noir?!" Hawkmoth said as his left hand clenched into a fist. Couverture gazed at his hand, charging it up again for the next blow.

"Ugh, this again. This is getting...o-old." Couverture said, beginning to struggle. Adrien began to fight off the akuma once again. Marinette's hope began to rise as she watched Couverture hold his head as if he had a headache. She realized what she was doing was working. She kept talking.

"Channel those positive thoughts. I know you can." Marinette said to him as she stood there. Couverture grunted and groaned, continuing to fight of the positivity wanting to take over.

"Stop it!" Couverture yelled as he began to make fists with his hands. His breathing became heavy. His eye color began shifting back and forth from red and black to Adrien's normal eye color. Marinette face filled with determination. She spoke even louder.

"I know I hurt you, Adrien! I should never have run away! You might hate me now but...I want to make everything right again!" Marinette told him. Couverture's face winced.

"Shut up! Your words mean absolutely nothing!" Couverture exclaimed.

"Fight it, Adrien! Fight it!" Marinette yelled. Couverture kept on grunting. Hawkmoth noticed his suffering. He decided to give Couverture some encouragement.

"Don't let her take away what's rightfully yours. You deserve the powers you have been granted. Give into those negative emotions in your heart. Let the hate flow within you!" Hawkmoth told him. Couverture gained a bit of strength from Hawkmoth's advice, letting out a loud scream. The negativity began flowing in his veins once again. He released his hands from his head, charging them up with as much power as they could take. He decided this time, he wouldn't hold anything back.

"Enough!" He exclaimed, reaching his hands out towards Marinette once again. She screamed, shielding her eyes from the sights of what was about to destroy her. The charge hit her, creating an explosion from where she was standing. Couverture lowered his arms, panting from using so much energy. He watched as the smoke rise, waiting to see what was left of Marinette. He began to squint, trying to see past it. Suddenly, he witnessed the impossible.

Marinette was still there…

...and still alive...

She was covered in cuts and bruises. She was extremely weak but was able to get on a knee to keep herself up. Her breaths sounded like wheezing. Her vision was blurry due to the lack of strength. She wondered how in the world she was still alive. She looked around, realizing she was still breathing and upright. She was still able to see everyone around her.

"Wha….how am I…." Marinette wondered. This was impossible. No one could survive a blast that powerful. She pondered the possibilities. _How...how am I still alive? How am I not affected?_ Couverture watched as she kneeled there. He did a double take. He couldn't believe what he was looking at. He became extremely confused.

"How? How is thi-...this...this shouldn't be happening!" Couverture exclaimed. Hawkmoth was confused as well. He growled, angry at the fact that this normal, everyday girl was still standing.

"This doesn't make any sense. She should be losing her mind right now!" Hawkmoth yelled. This was a mystery to him. He wanted this problem to be fixed once and for all. "Don't let this stop you Couverture! Finish her!" Hawkmoth exclaimed. Couverture let out a loud scream. He whipped his arms up above him, charging them up once again. He hit Marinette again. The blast wasn't as strong as the first one. He believed it to be enough to affect her mind. Marinette was still unaffected. She panted, keeping herself up on a knee.

Tikki and Plagg managed to sneak out of the building they were once in and fly closer to the battle between Marinette and Couverture. They watched as she continued getting hit by Couverture's dark power. They were confused as well. They began trying to figure out what could be going on here.

"How is she doing that? Shouldn't she be losing her mind right about now?" Plagg asked Tikki. Tikki carefully observed the situation. She began to ponder all of the possibilities. Suddenly, she came to a possible explanation.

"Wait a minute…" Tikki said.

"What? What?!" Plagg exclaimed, flailing his arms around in a panic.

"It's Adrien! He's controlling Couverture's power!" Tikki told him. Plagg stared at her blankly. He needed more clarification.

"O...kay, when you want to start making sense, let me know." Plagg replied. Tikki shook her head in amusement.

"Adrien's able to combat the dark power the akuma is putting on him. If I'm correct, if he's able to do that, he can mess with Couverture's powers too! Not to sound cheesy…" Plagg suddenly got excited. Tikki facepalmed. "No, Plagg, don't take that too literally. I don't have any camembert." Plagg sighed with disappointment. "Anyway, I think Marinette's love for him is giving Adrien strength, making him strong enough so that his powers don't have any effect on her!" Tikki explained to him.

Couverture continued using his power on her, even though it did absolutely nothing. He grew tired and weak from hitting her so many times. Marinette became weaker and weaker with every hit he threw at her. She dropped on her hands and knees. She winced as pain shot up from her legs. Even though the hits didn't affect her mind, they had a lot of force to them, pressing her down with every blow.

"Why….Ahhh!" Couverture yelped in pain from the fighting force of Adrien. "Why aren't my powers working!?"Couverture exclaimed, about to completely lose his mind. He was extremely frustrated. Adrien continued to fight him. Couverture desperately wanted to give Marinette what his negative side thought she deserved. Marinette tried gaining the strength to speak again.

"I'm sorry, Adrien." A tear began to fall down her cheek. Marinette felt she could drop any minute. She never felt so weak. She was starting to lose the will to go on. "F...forgive me…please" She almost dropped to the ground completely but caught herself just enough. "I...love you." She softly said before collapsing. She fell, unconscious, covered in wounds. Plagg and Tikki gasped.

"MARINETTE! NO!" Tikki exclaimed. Her eyes grew wide, witnessing the possible destruction of someone she was close to. She frantically tried to fly over to her before Plagg grabbed her arm.

"Tikki, no!" Plagg told her, trying to hold her back. "There's nothing we can do!" He said to her, reminding Tikki that their existence had to remain a secret. Couverture began to laugh maniacally, finally defeating the one person who created the pain in his heart. Hawkmoth listened to Marinette's final words. He became speechless.

"She still...loves him?" Hawkmoth asked himself, baffled. After everything that happened at Varengeville-sur-Mer; all of the yelling and the crying and running away. After all of that, her love for him hasn't gone away. He didn't understand. He couldn't.

Suddenly, Couverture felt a pain in his body. He held his head once again and began wincing. Adrien began to fight again. "No! Ah! No! Stop!" Couverture screamed. He wanted the pain to end. Hawkmoth watched as Couverture began to weaken. He noticed that Adrien was overcoming the negativity that the akuma was giving off.

"Does Adrien love this girl that much?" Hawkmoth asked himself. His anger turned into sadness. He started to reminisce back to his own life. He remembered what love felt like; how wonderful it made his life and how he wouldn't have traded it for anything. He wished he could do anything to have that love back in his life again. He began to feel empathy for his son. He wanted to fix everything. He couldn't bear seeing his son suffer. He realized he made a big mistake. He took a deep breath and said four words he never thought he would say.

"Akuma...return to me."

The akuma flew out from the photo of Marinette. The darkness disappeared from it. Couverture suddenly let out a loud cry, slowly descending. Couverture touched down to the ground gently. A wave of black suddenly covered him. It disappeared, slowly starting from his feet to his head. Adrien was back, wearing the suit that he had on for the photoshoot at Varengeville-sur-Mer. He panted, slowly gaining strength back in him. The people around him started to glow a bright yellow. The light escaped from them, returning them back to normal. The same yellow light flowed all over the city, fixing all of the destruction that was done to the city, turning everything back to normal. Cars were back upright and street lights lit up the streets once again. The Parisians cheered, realizing that everything was back to the way it was. Many of them ran to their loved ones, grabbing them into a tender embrace.

Adrien lifted his head and looked around. He smiled, glad to know that all the damage was fixed. The guilt is his heart still lingered, realizing that a few lives could have been taken with what he had done. Suddenly, he realized something.

"Marinette!" He exclaimed. Having all his strength back, he lifted himself upright and looked around, searching for Marinette. He turned his head to his left, seeing Marinette lying on the ground, immobile. "Marinette!" He began to panic. He got up as quickly as he could and ran over to her. He dropped to his knees, scooping her up in his arms. He observed her, noticing her covered in battle scars. "Please wake up. Please!" The guilt in him rose. "Marinette...please." He began to accept the unbearable. He felt tears filling up his eyes. He felt horrible inside to the point of feeling a bit sick. He took his left hand and brushed a piece of her midnight hair aside. He stroked her battered and bruised cheek.

"You didn't deserve this...you didn't deserve any of this." He said to her. He sniffled. He couldn't believe he did this to her. He was so mad at himself. His heart felt heavy. He took his head and rested it against Marinette's. A tear fell down his cheek, landing on hers. He put his left hand back under her and pulled her close. He continued to cry. Adrien started to become unsteady, accepting the reality that Marinette was taken from his life. It wouldn't be the first time someone he loved was taken from his life. Adrien began to have flashbacks.

 _Father! You're home! Where's...where's Mom?_

 _Son...I have something to tell you._

 _Father...Where is mom?_

 _I'm...sorry, Son._

 _No…NO! MOM! NO! NO! MOM! PLEASE NO!_

The tears came down harder. Adrien wanted all of the pain to go away and all of the horrible things in his life to end. He wanted Marinette back. He wanted his mother back. He wanted everything to be the way it used to be. He wanted happiness back. He wanted love back.

"I can't...lose you too." He said in a shaky voice. He held Marinette even tighter, refusing to accept that she was gone. He wouldn't dare believe it. He couldn't live with himself if he was the one that caused her demise. He wouldn't ever forgive himself. It would be all his fault. Suddenly, one of Marinette's fingers twitched. He gasped. Could it be? He lifted his head, shifting his gaze to her. He felt a breath in her. Her eyes opened very slightly.

Marinette was alive.

Marinette looked at Adrien, who was filled with tears. Adrien was awestruck. He had never been so relieved about anything in his life. His one love was back in his life. Marinette spoke in a weak voice.

"A...Adrien?" Marinette said. Adrien grew a giant smile. He took her into a tight embrace again, forgetting that she was hurt. She yelped. "Ow!" Adrien's eyes grew wide. He suddenly loosened his grip on her.

"I'm so sorry, it's just...you're alive." Adrien said as he took his left hand and began stroking her cheek again. Marinette shared a smile before wincing at the slight pain she felt from Couverture's blasts. Her eyes squinted. A tear fell down her cheek. "Marinette?" Adrien said, wondering why she was beginning to cry.

"Adrien, I'm sorry. I'm really sor-" Marinette began to explain. Adrien placed two fingers on Marinette's lips, stopping her from speaking. He softly shushed her. He gave her a smile.

"It's okay." Adrien said before leaning his forehead on hers, continuing to hold her in a loving embrace. "We're going to be okay." He told her.

Plagg and Tikki quickly snuck around all the Parisians, flying quickly into Marinette's purse. They watched as Adrien held her tight.

"Well, that was a close one. It looks like everything's going to be okay!" Tikki said. Plagg groaned. Tikki turned her head to face him. "Why are you so upset?"

"Why? Why?! I still didn't get my camembert!" Plagg exclaimed.

* * *

"Dark wings...fall." Hawkmoth said before de-transforming back into Gabriel Agreste. Gabriel stood there, looking out his butterfly shaped window. He smiled, glad to see that Marinette wasn't a goner. He couldn't be more relieved to know. Nooroo appeared in front of him, slightly weak. He lifted his head to look up at Gabriel.

"I'm sorry you weren't successful, Master." Nooroo said to him, although he was glad Hawkmoth didn't conquer Paris.

"No, Nooroo. I let him go." Gabriel said to him. Nooroo was confused.

"Why would you do that?" Nooroo asked him. It was weird for Hawkmoth to do that. Nooroo couldn't be any happier that he made the decision to take the akuma back though. He only wondered why he would do such a thing.

"This girl loves my son. I would never take love away from him." Gabriel explained as he took the locket off of his shirt collar, holding it in his hands. He opened it, revealing a picture of his wife. Gabriel's lip quivered, remembering the day she went missing. It was one of the saddest days of his life. Losing the one woman he loved changed his life as well as his heart. Gabriel tried holding back the tears. Nooroo noticed his sorrow. He flew up to his hands, holding them gently with his. Gabriel's gaze shifted to him. Nooroo shedded a slight smile.

"You did the right thing, Master." Nooroo reassured him. Gabriel smiled back. Although he was desperate for Ladybug's and Cat Noir's miraculous, it felt right to retreat. His son was happy. There was nothing more he could ask for. Gabriel took the locket in his hand and attached it back to his collar. Gabriel turned around and walked towards the platform so that he could exit his lair. Nooroo followed him. After stepping on the platform, he slightly turned his head.

"Don't expect this to happen often, Ladybug and Cat Noir, wherever you are. You will fail one day and then, I will have absolute power." He said before the platform descended. Nooroo sighed, wishing for Gabriel to turn back to good like he was in the past.

* * *

"Here, let me lift you up." Adrien said to Marinette. Marinette nodded. He took Marinette securely in his arms and stood up. She took her arms and wrapped them around his neck for extra support. She felt extremely faint. Her vision was still somewhat blurry. She looked at her arms as they wrapped around Adrien. She noticed all of the scratches and bruises covering them. She found it hard to believe that she was still standing after all the pain she endured from Couverture. Adrien noticed Marinette observing her arms with a worried look on her face.

"You okay?" Adrien asked her. Her gaze shifted to him. Marinette nodded slightly. Adrien understood her fears at the moment. It had to be scary seeing yourself all cut and bruised, almost meeting your demise. He felt lucky. He couldn't be any more grateful that she was still here. Suddenly, Adrien and Marinette heard the sound of sirens in the distance. He squinted, trying to see far away towards the sound. Two police cars and an ambulance drove towards them. The lights were so bright that Adrien had to cover his eyes. Marinette squinted at them. The cars came to a sudden halt. The tires screeched as the stopped. Adrien and Marinette winced at the piercing sound. A male EMT came out of the ambulance. Adrien began calling for them.

"Hey! Over here!" Adrien exclaimed. The EMT turned his head, seeing Adrien holding a wounded Marinette in his arms. The EMT quickly rushed over to Adrien, knowing there was a sense of urgency.

"Is she alright?" The EMT asked Adrien with haste as he began to carefully observe her wounds.

"She's a bit scraped up. Other than that though, I think she's alright." Adrien said as he looked at Marinette. The EMT took a light from in his pocket and shined it in her eyes, checking her pupils in case of a concussion.

"There doesn't seem to be any sign of a concussion. It wouldn't hurt to keep her for observation. Let's get her in the ambulance." The EMT said to Adrien, motioning him to bring Marinette over to the ambulance. Adrien followed him. When they reached the car, the EMT opened the doors. Inside laid a bed.

"Let's put her over here." The EMT told Adrien. Adrien stepped into the ambulance and placed Marinette gently on the bed. The EMT placed an oxygen mask on her as well as a pulse oximeter to keep an eye on her heartbeat. He closed the doors to the ambulance before the ambulance started moving. Adrien stood next to her, trying best to keep his balance from the moving vehicle. He took Marinette's hand in his.

"You're going to be okay, Marinette." He told her with a smile. Marinette smiled back.

 **CHAPTER 9 COMING SOON!**


	9. Recovery

**Just to let you guys know, I am going to start posting updates and news about my stories on my profile! For example, I might say something like, "I'm at a bit of a writer's block with a chapter of this story." or something like "Chapter bla bla bla is almost complete! Expect it sometime around bla bla bla." So check into my profile for updates if you want to keep in the loop! ;)**

 **WATCH THE EPISODE "TROUBLEMAKER" BEFORE READING THIS STORY**!

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Recovery**

Marinette had to spend two nights in the hospital so the doctors could fully assess her. She didn't suffer any major injuries which she couldn't have been more thankful for. She was glad to hear that she didn't have to spend too long recovering in the hospital. She wanted to get back on her feet and see the world she risked her life to save. Marinette did feel bad that Adrien had to live with the memory of almost destroying the city and its people. All that Marinette wanted to do was be there for him in every instance. The guilt of running away from him was still killing her inside, even though Adrien seemed joyous to see her after the akuma left. She hoped that he would be able to forgive her.

Marinette's friends and family visited her often. Her parents stayed with her for most of the two days. They ate lunch and dinner with her and then went home to sleep. When they heard what happened, they couldn't believe it. Nonetheless, they were extremely proud of her and what she did, even though it scared them half to death. They were thankful that she alive and well. They couldn't bear the thought that they almost lost their daughter.

Alya and Nino came after school to visit her the two days. Alya brought her homework so she wouldn't fall behind. Marinette missed so much due to her absences from her secret duty saving Paris. She didn't want to miss anything. She also brought Marinette her sketchbook and pencils in case she wanted to draw some designs. They didn't hear about her fight with Couverture until after they found out Marinette was in the hospital. Marinette told her _almost_ everything. She had to lie about some things to cover up her secret. When Alya and Nino walked into the hospital, seeing Marinette laying in bed, they rushed over to her side.

"Girl, I can't believe you pulled a stunt like that! You could have seriously gotten yourself killed, you know." Alya said to her.

"Hey, I had to do what was right to save everyone including Adrien. I couldn't just-" Marinette began to say until Alya leaned in and pulled her in for a gentle hug, keeping in mind that Marinette was injured slightly. Marinette gasped in surprise.

"You are amazing, girl. You better know that by now." Alya told her as she was almost to the point of tears. She was so happy that her best friend survived after being hit so many times. It was a miracle in her eyes. Marinette smiled and hugged her back.

"I do now." Marinette replied. Alya let go and picked up her backpack that was sitting next to her feet. She opened it and dug inside it, taking out a notepad, a pen, and her cell phone. Alya handed the phone to Nino as she kept her face towards Marinette, smirking.

"You know what to do." Alya told him.

"Yeah, I know." Nino replied as he rolled his eyes in amusement. He took the cell phone and brought the camera up, beginning to record a video.

"Now, Marinette…" She said as pulled up a chair nearby and sat in it. She clicked her pen and put the notepad on her lap. "Tell me your thoughts and feelings when you were hit with Couverture's power. How did it feel?" She asked her. Marinette laughed. She knew it was for the LadyBlog. After a bit of time passed, they got all the information they needed, hugged her, and left.

Adrien never left her side once, except for bathroom breaks and getting her food if she ever needed it. He stayed with her every single minute she was in the hospital. There were visiting hours but since Marinette is the one who saved the whole city, the hospital staff decided to make an exception. He was able to sleep on a sofa near a window in Marinette's room. He made sure to call his father and make sure he was alright with sleeping over. He was shocked to hear that he was okay with it. He was actually grateful to hear it. With everything that happened, he didn't want Marinette being alone, considering the fact that he felt most responsible for it all. He had so much guilt inside that he thought being with her was the best way of making the pain go away.

Natalie was nice enough to bring over a change of clothes for him as well as a set of pajamas. She also brought Adrien his tablet so he can practice his Chinese. Marinette wanted to learn so he taught her a few basic words and phrases. He recalled how she wasn't entirely fluent with the language with her uncle, Cheng Shifu. Adrien thought it might be a benefit to her. Marinette drew designs in her sketchbook, using Adrien as a model. Adrien was nice enough to pose for her. Marinette had to keep herself from swooning, even though Adrien liked seeing it. She found him so dreamy, it was hard not to. Adrien decided to bring some of Marinette's designs to her dad once she was released from the hospital.

Day two had hit and the morning that Marinette would be released from the hospital was approaching. It was around 7 PM. Marinette woke up from a nap that she accidentally made too long. As she lied there, she saw Adrien sitting to the right of the bed, resting near the foot of it, leaning his head on her right leg. He was wearing silky, black, long-sleeved pajamas. Marinette thought wearing silky ones must be the model in him. The fact that they were black made the Cat Noir in him show a bit more. She couldn't help but smile. She gazed at his blonde hair and peachy skin. He was snoring slightly, which she found to be kind of adorable. She suddenly realized that her throat was pretty dry. She tried to wake him up, even though she wanted to keep staring at that beautiful face of his.

"Adrien?" Marinette called his name softly, trying not to startle him. He proceeded to snort, turning his head as he continued to sleep. Marinette shook her head, chuckling slightly. "Hey, Adrien?" She lifted her leg up a bit, making his head shake. He shot up with a loud snort.

"HUH WHAT!" Adrien exclaimed. Marinette couldn't hold back the laughter. He turned his head, seeing her giggle at him. He laughed with her, realizing he snorted.

"Sorry, I was out like a light." He said as he moved closer to her. "You okay?" He said as he gazed at her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just needed a drink of water." She said as she pointed to the sink. Adrien turned his head, looking at where she was pointing to.

"Oh, sure thing." He said as he got up and walked near the sink, grabbing a paper cup that was sitting next to it. He turned on the faucet, filling the cup with water. As Adrien stood by the sink, Marinette began pondering over a few things in her head. With everything that's happened the past few days, she had so many questions she didn't have answers to. Marinette began to speak.

"You know...there's something that's been on my mind since yesterday." Adrien slightly turned his head.

"What's that?" Adrien asked her.

"When you...I mean...the akumatized you...hit me with your power. I was hurt, but not affected in any way like everyone else was." Marinette stopped to think. "I just can't help but wonder how that was possible." Marinette told him. Adrien walked over to her with the drink in his hand, handing it to her. She took it in her hands and started drinking the water as Adrien began to speak.

"Actually...it was me." Adrien responded. Marinette swallowed her water, confused.

"I don't understand." Marinette told him. Adrien thought of a way to explain what happened exactly.

"Well…" He said, grabbing the chair near the foot of Marinette's bed and pulling it close to him. He sat down in it. "You know how I was able to overcome the negative side of me at some points? Well, I tried doing the same thing with the powers." Adrien said, looking down at his feet. "I couldn't bare seeing you suffer like everyone else was." Marinette sighed. The fact that Adrien cared that much for her was something to admire.

"So I'm not the only reason Paris is safe and you're back to normal. If I was hit entirely, you know, mind and all, we wouldn't be where we are right now. We're both the reason." Marinette told him.

"Well...we are a team after all." He said to her. Marinette remembered all the times she and him as Cat Noir said that to each other. Now they were a team, regardless if they were in their superhero personas or not. "But hey, you more than me. I would never have been as bold as to go out without my powers and risk everything. _That_ was a gutsy move." Adrien said to her. Marinette shrugged her shoulders.

"Oh, I mean...it was the least I could do." Marinette replied. Adrien rolled his eyes in amusement. The least she could do? Adrien couldn't believe his ears. No one could ever do more than that. He started speaking again.

"So anyway, I was thinking…" Marinette blinked.

"Thinking what exactly?" Marinette asked him. Adrien's legs started bouncing up and down, as if he was nervous to say what he wanted to say.

"Well, our last time spent together didn't go _exactly_ the way we planned." Adrien chuckled.

"Yeah, not really, um...look, I'm sorry. It's kind of my fault. I ran away from you and-" Marinette said, beginning to feel guilty. Adrien didn't understand why she was the one saying sorry. He gently lifted her head up by her chin.

"No, no, no. Marinette. I'm the one who owes an apology here." Adrien responded.

"Wait, what? Why?" Marinette asked him. He took her right hand in his and took a deep breath.

"Well, when I told you my secret…" Adrien said.

"Wait, which secret are we talking about? You having a crush on me or the other one?" Marinette asked him. Adrien cleared his throat and shifted his eyes to the silver ring on his finger. "The other one...right."

"Yeah. Anyway, I shouldn't' have sprung it up on you the way I did. You already discovered so much about me that I overwhelmed you." Adrien sighed. "I shouldn't have done that to you." Marinette felt Adrien's hands shaking. She didn't realize that he felt this way. She felt so bad. She wanted to do nothing but comfort him.

"Adrien, it's okay. You already knew so it was only fair that I knew too." Marinette said.

"So now we both know." Adrien added.

"Yeah." Marinette said, looking down at his hands holding hers. Adrien bit his lips, hesitant to say what was on his mind out of nervousness.

"So...are you okay with it? With me being...you know…" Adrien asked her.

"Of course I'm okay with it." Marinette said to him with a smile. Adrien's eyes lit up.

"Really? Even with all the cat puns and constant flirting, you're still-" Adrien said before Marinette interrupted him.

"Hey, just because you're...him…doesn't mean that you are any different. You are still the person I fell completely head over heels for. Besides…" Marinette began to blush. She couldn't believe what was about to come out of her mouth. "I have to admit, the other you is quite...charming." Marinette giggled.

"Well…" Adrien chuckled as he took her hand and kissed it. "I am 'clawsome' at flirting, after all." Marinette couldn't help but laugh at his cat pun. Hearing that gave Adrien a little more confidence. "Anyway, as I was saying before, I was thinking we could try that whole hang out over again...without my photographer and bodyguard, of course." He said as he let go of her hand and placed his own on his knees.

"Okay. So, where were you thinking?" Marinette asked him. He grinned. She knew from that look on his face that he was hiding something from her.

"You'll know by tomorrow night. Just be ready by 8 PM." Adrien told her. "For now, get some rest. You have a big day tomorrow." He said as he took his hand and brushed some of Marinette's hair aside, stroking her cheek. He took the blanket on top of her and began tucking Marinette in. Marinette playfully raised an eyebrow.

"You know I'm fully capable of covering myself up. My hands work." She giggled.

"I know. I just like taking care of you. It's the least I could do." Adrien said, winking at her. She nodded with a smile and closed her eyes, falling asleep. Adrien leaned forward and kissed her forehead. She happily let out a sigh, feeling the pleasurable warmth of his lips on her skin. He walked over to the sofa and lied down on it. He took a blanket that was on top of the back of the sofa and laid it over top of him. He leaned his head on the right armrest and closed his eyes, falling asleep.

* * *

Marinette was out of the hospital the next morning. She was pretty much back to normal, still bearing a few cuts and scrapes. Other than that, she was able to walk around and do the things she does every day. She wondered how she would be able to fight as Ladybug if she broke any bones. She was just very glad both she and Adrien didn't get badly injured in the battle. She hoped that something like that would never happen; period.

It was 7:50 PM; almost time for Adrien to take Marinette to who-knows-where. Marinette was laying on her bed, writing in her journal. She was all ready to go out, wearing her normal everyday clothes. She felt no need to get gussied up unless Adrien had told her to. Her pen flew right through the pages as she wrote down everything that happened to her in the past few days

 _...I had no idea if I was going to get out of this unscathed. Couverture could have won for sure if Adrien wasn't combating that akuma. One minute, I was being hit by Couverture's powers and then, after gaining consciousness back, I see Adrien holding me in his arms. Oh...Adrien. The love of my life. We're finally together! I can't believe it I'm actually glad those cameramen pointed the cameras towards the pictures I have of Adrien. Now all my dreams have come true. He stayed by my side during my time in the hospital and now he's taking me...um...I don't know where exactly. In a way, this is kind of like our first date so I would think it's somewhere nice. To be honest, I don't mind if it's by a ton of dumpsters!...okay wait maybe I do in that case. The point is that as long as Adrien is with me, I will be happy no matter what. Now that I also know he's Cat Noir, he means even more to me. He's my partner, friend, and now boyfriend!...I guess...we haven't really called each other boyfriend and girlfriend yet. But we only just revealed our feelings for each other so who knows. Maybe we're going to make it official tonight! I hope so! It's just so crazy that-_

Marinette's writing was interrupted when she suddenly heard a knock on the window below her bed. She put her pen down across her notebook and moved near the edge of her bed. She leaned down to look over at the window, seeing Cat Noir standing outside, waving with his cheeky grin.

"Cat Noir!" Marinette said as she lost grip of her bed, falling off of the bed and to the ground. She let out a small yelp. "Ow!" Cat Noir gasped.

"ARE YOU OKAY!?" Cat Noir yelled, thinking that she probably couldn't hear him so well while he was on the other side of the window. Marinette held her palm up to him.

"Yeah, I'm fine!" Marinette said with a thumbs up before starting to get up. Once she was back on her feet, she walked over to the window and opened it. Cat Noir walked inside. "So Cat Noir...I mean Adrien...I mean...seriously what am I supposed to call you now?"

"I don't know...whatever you want, I guess." Cat Noir chucked. Marinette could see the similarities between Adrien and Cat Noir much clearer now. She wondered how she could have been so blind.

"So...why are you…" Marinette asked him, pointing at his Cat Noir costume. He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Oh, this. I find using my baton a faster way of travel. Less stress on my feet, you know?" Cat Noir said as she shrugged.

"I feel the same way about my yo-yo! Hey, remember that bet Alix and Kim made that caused Alix to turn into Timebreaker?" Marinette asked him.

"Yeah." Cat Noir responded.

"Remember how I told Alya I was five minutes away?"

"Yea-...oh wait you used your yo-yo didn't you?" Cat Noir asked her. Marinette nodded with a smile. "So when you said you were five minutes away…"

"Make it more like twenty minutes." Marinette chuckled. She took her phone out of her pocket to reveal that it was exactly 8 PM. "So, what's this big surprise?"

"Oh yeah, sorry." Cat Noir said as he realized he still had his costume on. "Hold on, gotta de-transform really quick." He told her. Marinette proceeded to step back. "Plagg, claws in!" Cat Noir said aloud. A wave of bright yellow-green light traveled from his feet to the top of his head, transforming him back into Adrien Agreste. He was also wearing his normal, everyday clothes. Plagg suddenly appeared next to him, tired and worn out. Marinette stared at Adrien in awe. His transformations were very different from hers.

"Woah." Marinette said. Adrien smiled at her.

"You're telling me! You know how much energy I need for that?" Plagg said.

"Well, nice to see you too, Plagg." Marinette playfully said to him.

"I'll get you some camembert later, okay? Adrien said to him. He shifted his gaze to Marinette, shaking his head in amusement. Tikki suddenly popped out from inside Marinette's purse laying across her shoulder.

"It does take a lot of energy, you know." Tikki added. She flew up between Marinette and Adrien. Adrien gasped, seeing Marinette's kwami for the very first time.

"So...you're Marinette's kwami, huh?" Adrien asked Tikki. She nodded.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Adrien." Tikki replied as she pretended to curtsy. Adrien bowed in response.

"Please, the pleasure's all mine!" Adrien told her. Tikki giggled. Marinette watched as they got acquainted. The sight of Adrien talking to Tikki was the last thing she would have guessed to see in her lifetime. She revealed a smile. Tikki turned her head towards Marinette.

"Such a gentleman!" Tikki said to her.

"Why thank you!" Adrien replied, turning his head to Marinette. "No wonder she's your kwami. She's just as sweet as you." He said with a wink. Tikki grew a smile.

"Wow...he's good." She said as she nudged Marinette's arm. Marinette and Adrien stood there, gazing into each other's eyes for a brief moment. Tikki took that as a cue to leave. She was so happy Marinette's dream of being with Adrien was finally coming true. She didn't want to ruin it in any way. "We'll give you two some space. Come on, Plagg." Tikki took Plagg's hand and pulled him inside of Marinette's purse.

"But I wanna watch!" Plagg said desperately before being pushed inside the purse by Tikki. Marinette and Adrien broke eye contact and watched as Plagg was attempting to get out of Tikki's grip. Adrien turned his gaze back to Marinette.

"Now, I really need to see one of your transformations sometime." Adrien said, pointing at her.

"It's a deal." Marinette giggled. "Now, the surprise?"

"Oh, right. But first…" Adrien took his hand in his pocket, pulling out a black blindfold. Marinette raised an eyebrow.

"Huh?" Marinette uttered.

"Hey, I don't want you to find out along the way where we're going. Trust me, it's gonna be worth it." Adrien responded to her. Once she understood, Marinette nodded. She took the blindfold in her hands and put it on her eyes. "Alright, can you see anything?"

"No, I don't see anything." Marinette responded. Adrien waved his hands in front of her face, making sure that she could see a thing. Once he saw that she didn't flinch, he guessed that the blindfold was working. Marinette's excitement grew. Having the blindfold on made everything even more mysterious and exhilarating. She started thinking that Adrien must have planned something big for her. Adrien took Marinette's hands in his.

"Okay, now start stepping forward." Adrien told her. Marinette took her feet and shuffled them forward. She stumbled a bit and lost her balance, falling into Adrien. She took in the scent of cologne on his short, making her not want to get back on her feet as he held her. "Careful!" He chuckled.

"Sorry. I'm Clumsy Girl, remember?" Marinette giggled. Adrien recalled her calling herself that when they first met as Ladybug and Cat Noir.

 _I bet you're the partner my kwami told me about. I'm...Cat Noir. Yeah, Cat Noir. And you?_

 _I'm Ma… err… Mar… uhh…_ Her yo-yo hit him in the head.

 _Ow!_

 _Madly Clumsy. I'm so clumsy._

 _No sweat, clumsy girl. I'm learning the ropes too._

"Well, I'll make sure Clumsy Girl doesn't fall and break her face, okay?" Adrien told her as she got back on her feet. Marinette laughed. Adrien guided her out of her room and down the stairs. She could smell her mom's and dad's baked goods as she carefully walked down the steps. Adrien opened the door leading outside the bakery. Marinette heard the tiny bells overtop the door chime. They walked outside. Marinette heard a few cars go by. She could still slightly smell the bakery. Adrien stopped her once they were outside.

"Okay, we have a bit of walking to do. I'll guide you the whole way." Adrien said as he began to guide her again. Marinette was curious as to how long they were going to walk for.

"So you're not going to tell me how long the walk is going to be?" Marinette asked him. Adrien chuckled a little.

"If I told you that, it might give something away." Adrien told her. Marinette sighed.

"Come on! Not even a hint?" Marinette asked with a puppy dog pout. Adrien shook his head in amusement.

"Nope." He said with a cheeky 'Cat Noir-ish' grin. Marinette playfully groaned, making Adrien laugh. "Hey, you'll know soon enough." Adrien told her and he continued guiding her along.

* * *

About 15 minutes went by. Adrien was still guiding Marinette along. Marinette could hear the sounds of people walking by and cars driving along the street. She could smell the scents of local restaurants and retail stores as she walked along the path, using them to guess where Adrien was taking her. She paid close attention to the ground she was walking on, thinking it might give her somewhat of a clue to where she was. She couldn't quite place her finger on it though. Adrien suddenly stopped her.

"Okay, stay right there." Adrien told her.

"Oh, okay." Marinette agreed easily. She heard a soft ding followed by the swish of what she thought might be doors. She felt Adrien take her hands again.

"Now, walk this way. Careful! Slowly." He told her. She shuffled forward only a few steps before stopping her again. Suddenly, the ground started shaking. Marinette felt as if she were moving, even as they stood still. She wondered if maybe they were in an elevator. There was another ding followed by the floor jolting, causing Marinette to lose her balance slightly. One more ding and then the same swish as before. Adrien shuffled beside her and then gently took her by the arms to guide her.

"Come on!" She felt a breeze as she stepped forward, following Adrien's instruction. She felt a slight breeze against her skin; something she didn't feel when she left her house. A scent of baked goods hit her nose, resembling her parent's bakery. The echoes of cars and laughter drifted by but sounded distant. They only walked about three feet before she was halted once more.

"Okay...take off the blindfold." Adrien told her.

 **CHAPTER 10 COMING SOON!**

 **(Last chapter guys! Here we go!)**


	10. New Beginnings

**WATCH THE EPISODE "TROUBLEMAKER" BEFORE READING THIS STORY**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: New Beginnings**

Marinette gently took the blindfold off her eyes. She squinted against the light shining in front of her. Once her vision returned to normal, she gasped, amazed at what was before her. She was on the very top of the Eiffel Tower, standing in front of what she thought was just breathtaking. To the left of her, a maroon blanket lay on the floor with picnic baskets sitting beside it. To her right was a metal-plated stereo system sitting on top of a decorative table with a glass top. Surrounding her were hundreds of twinkling lights, strung onto the fences. Flickering paper lanterns hung from above her, attached to the iron beams of the tower. Marinette was awestruck. She's been to the top of the Eiffel Tower before. However, with everything around her, the view was ten times more extravagant than she had ever witnessed. All her senses were on a joyride, making her feel a wave of nothing but pleasant emotion. It's like the fantasies she has had of her and Adrien were coming to life. She was in seventh heaven and on the verge of tears.

"Oh my gosh! Adrien, did you...did you do all of this?" Marinette asked as she walked around, observing what she thought was a masterpiece.

"Yeah. Do you...um...do you like it?" Adrien nervously asked, hoping that Marinette was satisfied. He worked for hours on end to make sure everything was perfect. His top priority was that nothing would ruin this night with her. He wanted her to be happy. Seeing her run off crying in Varengeville-sur-Mer was something that he never wanted to witness ever again. It tore his heart in two when it happened.

"Are you kidding me? I love it! It's too beautiful for words!" Marinette replied. Adrien didn't expect a response like that. It was a little more than he had hoped.

"Wait, really?" Adrien asked her.

"Of course! Who wouldn't? I mean, a private picnic on the top of the Eiffel tower? Music? A clear starry night sky? It's absolutely wonderful! I'm just hoping you didn't spend every penny you have." Marinette said, overjoyed. "You must have worked really hard setting this up."

"Well, actually, my father paid for everything." Adrien told her. Marinette turned her head in shock. "The decorations, the food, the stereo, reserving the Eiffel Tower for us; this is all because of him." Adrien said with a smile on his face.

"Wait a minute, you're _father_ helped you with this?" Marinette asked, making sure she heard that correctly. From what she knew about Adrien's father, he was the last person she'd expect to give a hand in something like this.

"Yeah, surprising, right? I didn't even ask. He sort of just...offered. After he heard about the whole situation at Varengeville-sur-Mer and after the whole situation with me being akumatized and all, he wanted to do everything he could to give a good start to our relationship." Adrien told her. A smile grew on Marinette's face.

"What?" Adrien chuckled. Marinette waved her hands around.

"Oh! Sorry, sorry, it's just that you said we're in a relationship." Marinette said to him. Adrien smiled back, happily sighing at her.

"Well, aren't we?" Adrien asked her, playfully raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I think we are. Do you...think we are? I mean, we really never made it official." Marinette responded. Adrien laughed, finding her uncertainty a bit amusing.

"Marinette, I kissed your forehead last night. Plus, I'm taking you to this romantic spot on top of the Eiffel Tower. I wouldn't do that for just anybody." He told her.

"You have a point." Marinette laughed along with him. "So we are a couple then?" She asked, a little unsure. A lot of what was going on felt surreal to her. She just wanted to be absolutely certain. She also just wanted to hear him say yes too, just because she liked hearing it. Adrien walked over to her and pulled her into a gentle hug.

"Yeah. We are." Adrien replied. Marinette smiled before taking her arms and wrapping them around Adrien's neck, pulling him in closer. She dug her nose into his shoulder, taking in the smell of his jacket. She felt Adrien squeeze her a bit tighter. Adrien could smell the scent of her shampoo coming from her hair. He sniffed deeply, taking pleasure in it. Marinette suddenly felt the need to say something.

"You know, Plagg told me about how your father doesn't treat you like he should." She told Adrien. He let go slightly so they were face to face.

"He did?" Adrien said, wide-eyed.

"Mmhmm. I think maybe...your father is realizing that he needs to treat you better. He might have done this to show he's going to change." Marinette told him. "Everyone makes mistakes from time to time. Believe me, I know." Marinette began to explain, thinking about everything that's happened in the past few days. "What I've discovered though is that everyone can fix the mistakes they've made. Just like how we fixed ours. I think he's trying to fix his." Marinette told him with a hopeful grin. Adrien felt a sense of optimism.

"You know, you may be right." Adrien said to her. Marinette reciprocated with a smile. Marinette felt good inside, knowing that she had put a spark of faith in him. Adrien glanced over at the picnic area he set up. "You should go take a look at what's inside the picnic baskets." He told her. Marinette let go of Adrien and walked over and sat herself down on the blanket. She turned her body towards the picnic baskets and proceeded to open them. Adrien followed her, sitting beside her. She looked inside, seeing a white box. She took the box out of the basket and placed it on her lap. She looked at the label on the top. She realized exactly where it came from. She knew she recognized the scent she smelled when she first arrived here.

"Wait, these are from my parents' bakery." Marinette said to herself as Adrien looked over her shoulder. She opened the box, revealing rows of delectable macarons. They were all decorated in a rainbow of colors. "Macarons! My favorite!" Marinette turned her head. "How'd you know?" She asked Adrien.

"I kind of didn't. I just took a guess. Tikki loves macarons just as much as Plagg loves his stinky camembert so I thought you would like them too." Adrien told her.

"I do, actually." Marinette chuckled. She pointed at Adrien. "So, do you like-"

"Camembert? Oh, no. I can't stomach the stuff." Adrien replied with his palms facing her. He watched as Marinette took a pink macaron from the box and bit into it. She closed her eyes, moaning from how delicious her parents' baking was. "Wow, you really do like them!" Marinette nodded in agreement.

"It's funny. I've had these more times than I can count but yet, I cannot get over how amazing they taste." She said before she began to wonder something. She pointed at him. "Have you ever had my parents' macarons before?" She asked him.

"I haven't, no. Why do you ask?" Adrien told her. Marinette's eyes grew wide. She took a green macaron from the box and handed it to Adrien. He grabbed it and observed it. He then shifted his gaze to her. "I've had a macaron before, you know." He chuckled.

"Trust me. It's worth it." She said, winking at him. He took the macaroon and bit into it. He froze. His eyes grew wide. This was unlike any he had ever tasted in his life. He was astonished by the taste. He rattled his head, dumbfounded at what he just put in his mouth.

"Woah! How do your parents do it!? These are incredible!" Adrien said, holding his head in disbelief.

"I told you." Marinette giggled. She noticed another picnic basket beside Adrien. She pointed to it. "So what's in there?" Adrien turned to see what she was pointing too.

"Oh, just some stuff to drink." Adrien told her as he opened the basket. He took out some bottles of water and two thermoses. Marinette wondered what could be in them.

"What's in the thermoses?" Marinette asked him.

"Well, I took some time to make some hot chocolate. You want some?" Adrien asked her. Marinette nodded. Adrien handed her a thermos. She opened it, smelling the delectable scent of chocolate and feeling the steam against her face. She took a sip of it. She couldn't believe how good it tasted.

"This is delicious! To be honest, this is some of the best hot chocolate I've ever tasted!" Marinette told him. Adrien's face lit up.

"Well don't thank me. Thank my mother." Adrien said to her. Confused, Marinette quickly turned her head towards him. She thought that his mom went missing.

"Your...mom?" Marinette asked to double check she heard that right.

"Yeah. It's her recipe. I found it while looking for the picnic baskets." Marinette understood now. Adrien tried making it. "She made this all the time for me before she...um…" Adrien tried keeping it together as best as he could. He didn't want to ruin Marinette's night. Marinette noticed he was a little choked up about it. She took her hand and placed it on his right hand laying on the blanket to comfort him. Adrien composed himself and began to speak again. "Anyway, I tried to make it myself. It's not as good as hers, but-" Marinette took her free hand and placed her finger on his lips.

"Adrien, it's perfect." Marinette told him. He smiled.

"Thanks." He said before lying on his back. He patted the empty spot next to him. "Lay down and relax, M'Ladybug." Marinette rolled her eyes and giggled.

"Oh, so now you're gonna call me M'Ladybug now, huh?" Marinette asked him as she put the thermos beside her and lied down next to him.

"Well, I don't think M'Marinette sounds right...sounds like I'm stuttering." Adrien replied. Marinette laughed.

"You're right. Besides, I actually like it when you call me M'Ladybug or M'Lady...even before I found out you were Cat Noir." Marinette told him.

"Soooooo does that mean you're gonna start calling me Kitty Cat?" Adrien said as he moved his eyebrows up and down. Marinette smirked. She shrugged.

"I don't know...maybe." She told him. They both turned their heads to the sky, looking at the shimmering stars above them. The sky was clear of any clouds, making the starlight shine so bright. The moon was full, shining down on the two of them, gleaming splendidly. "You know, you picked the perfect night for this. I have never seen the sky so clear." Marinette said.

"I know. It's breathtaking, really." Adrien responded. Marinette inhaled a deep breath before letting it out, taking in this moment.

"You know, there've been times when I've looked up at the stars and wondered about just how many there are out there in the world. It makes me consider that maybe...there might be that many people that have had a positive impact from you and I. It makes me glad that I get to save Paris. It gives me the motivation to keep doing good." Marinette smiled. "Now that I know who I'm fighting crime with, it makes it all the more meaningful." She told him. Adrien smiled. Marinette shifted her gaze towards him, admiring the way his blonde hair gleamed in the moonlight and how his eyes lit up like emeralds. Marinette had so many thoughts rushing through her head at that moment, like how amazing she felt, how wonderful this night is turning out, and questions; many, many questions.

"Hey, do you mind if-"

"Hmm?" Adrien turned his head.

"Do you mind if I ask what your mom was like?" Marinette asked him. Adrien glanced to the side for a second. He took a deep breath before looking at Marinette once again.

"Not at all." He replied with a smile. He turned his head back up towards the sky. "My mom was amazing. She was humble, caring, selfless...a lot like you actually." Adrien said. Marinette's eyes lit up. "She didn't just make my father and I happy. She gave the whole world happiness. Her joy was literally contagious." Adrien chuckled, thinking about the times he shared with his mother. "I remember how she would walk in the house after work and let out a great big, 'Hellooooooo family!'" Adrien laughed as he waved his arms around in excitement just as his mother did. Marinette chuckled. Adrien continued to speak.

"Then, she would come over to me and give me this gigantic warm hug." His voice grew tranquil. "I remember her telling me something. She said 'If I was offered endless joy and delight, I wouldn't need it. You give me that by being my son; my beautiful boy who I will love and treasure…" Adrien paused for a second, "...forever and always.'" Marinette put her hand over her heart. Those words were beautiful in Marinette's eyes. The way Adrien talks about her made Marinette much more aware of how much she meant to him...what she still means to him. "I really miss her." He said as his voice grew even more somber. Marinette had no idea what it was like to lose someone that meaningful. She tried to hold back tears as she felt a great deal of sympathy. Marinette shifted herself closer to Adrien, resting her head against his shoulder.

"Your mom sounded wonderful. Thank you..for telling me about her." Marinette told him. Adrien felt reassured. He rested his head on Marinette's, feeling a sense of closure. Adrien has wanted to talk about his mom to someone. He felt like he wouldn't have been able to talk to anybody about her. For more than a year, he held it all in, like a diary with a lock and key. Now that he let it out, he felt as if a weight has been lifted; like he could be an open book.

"You're welcome." Adrien replied. He turned his head to look at Marinette. He took in the sight of what he thought was true beauty. Her blue eyes sparkled like ocean water and her midnight hair glowed against the luminous light of the moon.

"You really _are_ the cat's meow." Adrien said without realization. Marinette turned her head to face his.

"Huh?" Marinette wondered. Adrien suddenly blushed in embarrassment. He shot up and started waving his hands around.

"Oh! I uh…it just blurted out! Sorry, I-" Adrien said in a panic. Marinette started laughing as she sat up. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing. It's just that you're Cat Noir side is showing." Marinette replied. Adrien snickered a little.

"Oh, you think this is my Cat Noir side, huh?" Adrien asked her with a playfully raised eyebrow.

"Well...I mean...yeah. I think so." Marinette replied as she shrugged. Suddenly, Adrien stood up and held his hand out for Marinette.

"Come here." Adrien told her. Marinette took his hand and stood up. He guided her over to an empty part of the floor nearby the stereo. He put his hand inside his pocket, taking out a small remote controller. He pointed it directly towards the stereo and began to play some soft piano music. Marinette thought the tune was simply beautiful. Adrien took his arm and wrapped it around Marinette's waist. He took his left hand and gently grabbed her right. He began to sway back and forth ever so slowly.

"What song is this? It's so pretty." Marinette asked softly.

"I think it's called _In the Rain_. I heard it online and just had to buy it." Adrien replied as he guided her through their slow dance. He suddenly took her and twirled Marinette under his arm as she followed Adrien's lead. He then pulled her back in his arms. They stopped for a moment.

"Okay...I was wrong. Now your Cat Noir side is showing." Marinette said, surprised. She had no idea he could be so smooth.

"Told you." Adrien replied with a wink. They began to swing once again, listening to the sound of piano keys and violin strings coming from the stereo. They grew silent for a little bit, feeling the warmth of each other against their skin. Their eyes were locked, not daring to look away. As the dance continued, Marinette pondered.

"So I was wondering…" Marinette hesitated to ask. "When...did you first have feelings for me? You had feelings for Ladybug ever since I first saw you as Cat Noir so that's why I'm curious."

"Well...remember that one day at school when it was raining pretty hard? It was the day I gave you that umbrella.I was telling you that I didn't put that chewing gum on your seat." Adrien replied.

"That's funny. I started having feelings for you for that same day! That's kind of ironic if you ask me." Marinette told him. Adrien gasped.

"Seriously." Adrien chuckled.

"So wait, if you had a crush on me that soon, why didn't you say anything?" Marinette asked him. Adrien looked down.

"Well, I had a crush on Ladybug too so it made things complicated, not to mention that whenever I talked to you, you sort of acted afraid of me or something. It made me think you didn't like me or something." Marinette became bug-eyed.

"Oh, no, no! That was just me being nervous. I kind of...get at a loss for words sometimes." Marinette explained.

"So when you said 'hot are you' instead of 'how are you' the other day, that was you being-" Adrien asked.

"Mmhmm." Marinette nodded.

"Ooooohhhhh." Adrien let out, coming to a sudden realization. "Anyway, don't get me wrong, I like you just as much as I liked...well...actually _like_ Ladybug, now that I know you're her. I just focused all of my attention on Ladybug because I thought that you weren't interested." Adrien explained as he shrugged his shoulders. Marinette understood why he thought that. She would try to act calm and collected but instead came out acting like a total head case.

"Trust me, all this time I've been interested. Just ask Alya. She can back me up here." Marinette told him.

"I'll take your word for it." Adrien replied. "But anyway, sorry I didn't say anything earlier on."

"It's okay. I actually am sort of glad it didn't happen any sooner. We got to know each other better because of it." Marinette responded. Adrien smiled.

"True." Adrien agreed with her. They continued to sway side to side as the music kept on playing. They grew silent once again. They didn't want this dance to end. The atmosphere made this night much more enchanting, like they were living a fairytale. The weather was perfect, the set-up was perfect; everything was just...perfect. Nothing could ruin it. There were no akumas to worry about, no pressure, and no secrets to be kept any longer. They turned their attention to the moon, staring at its white glow. It cascaded down on them as if a glistening spotlight was pointed right at them.

"Wow." Marinette breathed in awe. "Just look at that moon. It's simply magical. I can't think of anything in the world more beautiful than that." Adrien hesitated to speak, although he knew that he had nothing to be afraid of. He decided to come right out and say it.

"I can think of something…"

Marinette slowly turned her head to face Adrien's.

"...or someone."

They both froze, peering deep into each other's eyes as if they were looking into one another's souls. Nothing could distract them. The world around them turned invisible. It was only the two of them. They could feel their every breath press up against each other. Adrien took the wheel, raising his hand to caress Marinette's cheek. Marinette immersed herself in the soft touch of Adrien's skin brushing against her face.

She took her hands and placed them comfortably on Adrien's chest. She could feel Adrien's heartbeat; it was fast. Then again, so was hers. Their eyes were still locked, turning away all distractions. They both looked down at each other's lips, gradually moving in closer and closer with each second going by. Their eyes gently began to close. Marinette could feel Adrien's hand guide her head towards his until…

Their lips touched.

They became entranced by the feeling of their lips brushing against one another. Their minds became lost in the kiss. Marinette grasped his neck every so gently, pulling him deeper into the kiss. Adrien took his free hand and clutched her other cheek. They had never felt anything so satisfying. A minute went by until their mouths parted. They pulled back slightly; their eyes still closed. They were mesmerized by the thoughts and feeling that had rushed through their heads. Their foreheads settled against one another. They both simultaneously let out a light sigh before opening their eyes slowly

"Wow…" They both said. Marinette and Adrien giggled. They looked into each other's eyes again before pulling one another in for another kiss; this one lasting longer. Adrien took his hands and guided them down Marinette's back as Marinette took her hands and cupped his face in them. There was no holding back this time. The kiss felt much more intense, making both Marinette's and Adrien's emotions run wild. Adrien suddenly felt something crinkle in Marinette's inner-jacket pocket. He slightly pulled away again. Marinette wondered if everything was alright.

"Adrien?" Marinette called to him.

"Sorry, I felt something in your pocket." Adrien told her. Marinette took her hands away from his face to reach inside her jacket pocket. She felt a piece of paper, realizing that she forgot that she had something important to do.

"Adrien? Do you have a pen on you?"

* * *

It was 9 PM in the city of Paris. A 9-year-old girl sat in the living room by a window in a little house. She was sitting in a wheelchair, covered in a green and pink quilt. On the right handle of the wheelchair hung a backpack. In it were sketch pads and colored pencils. To her left, an I.V. fluid bag hung by a hook on a metal stand. The little girl peeked out, taking in the moon's light and magnificence. Her father walked in, seeing her stare outside. He walked towards her, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"You ready for bed honey?" He asked her.

"Can I have an eclair before I go to sleep?" She asked her father.

"Sure, let me get it for you, okay?" He said to her before heading to the kitchen. Suddenly, she heard a knock on the front door. The little girl turned her head.

"Who could that be?" She asked herself. She took the wheelchair's breaks off and rolled it through the entryway and towards the door. She grabbed the brass doorknob, turned it, and opened the door slowly, revealing who was on the other side.

"Hi, Madeleine." Ladybug and Cat Noir were standing by the door. Cat Noir held the drawing of the two of them in his hand. Both of their signatures were written on it, nice and neat. Ladybug held the note bearing the address Timothe gave her. Madeleine couldn't believe her eyes. She couldn't help but cry tears of pure joy. She held out her arms for a hug. Ladybug and Cat Noir dropped to their knees, embracing her with all the love they could give. Timothe came out from the kitchen, seeing his daughter cradled by the two people that have helped her battle through her sickness and her doubts. He started tearing up too.

"Thank you Ladybug and Cat Nor...thank you." Madeleine told them. The door slowly closed as the moonlight kept shining and the stars shimmered brightly. For once in Marinette's and Adrien's life, everything was just as it should be...

 _Miraculous._

 **THE END**

 **Thank you to everyone who took the time to read my story from beginning to end! I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please share this with your fellow Ladybug friends for them to enjoy too! Hugs!**

 **P.S. There miiiiiiiiiiiight be a sequel story coming soon ;) GET READY :D**


	11. Sequel is Up! (Not a New Chapter XD)

**Hello everybody!**

No this is not a new chapter but I thought I should tell you guys that the sequel to this story, _Time for Answers_ , is up now! Chapter 2 will be uploaded very soon now! Hope you guys give the next one a read! I would post the link for chapter 1 of the story here but it's not letting me. It's up on my fanfiction profile though! Consider this little message like a preview to the next book in this series like all books have! XD

 ** _Time For Answers:_**

The sequel to my last story, Time for the Truth: Marinette and Adrien are a couple at last! Much to both their surprise, Gabriel invites the two of them for dinner, which turns from nice hellos to complete disaster. Marinette and Adrien didn't expect to discover a few other secrets that night that Gabriel has been keeping hidden from not just his own son, but the entire world.

Hope you guys go take a look at it! Bye now!


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